Waning Moon
by not the brightest star
Summary: "She couldn't move, like a scolded dog. That's what she was. That's what they all were. They were the Dark Lord's dogs. Pets. And now he had one. Now he was master to one, the Hogwarts insanity." Luna is taken prisoner and Blaise is forced to be her master. The strange girl with silvery eyes walks into the battle unscathed, and walks out of the battle scarred. Broken.
1. contritum

_Hello readers! This is a fanfiction for Harry Potter. I've always loved the series, although I've lost respect for JK Rowling, haha. This is about Luna Lovegood and Blaise Zabini. Before I start, I would like to make a few things clear, regarding the story and its content._

_1\. I do not own the series or the characters. Everything belongs to JK Rowling, and this story is fanfiction with a few elements from _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

_2\. This is rated M or Mature for intense, graphic material. It is _dark_. There will be non-con sex, Stockholm syndrome, self-harm and drinking, torture and death. Please do not read if you are sensitive/have triggers regarding these topics. Also please note that I do not support these and will not be glorifying them. The rape actions will not be excused, and this will not be a romantic relationship._

_3\. This might be out of character for Luna and Blaise. I decided to write a story that regarded the fact that they were prisoners of the Death Eaters, but in different ways. Luna is taken prisoner, but at the beginning of the school year, and Blaise will have joined the Death Eaters in this fanfiction. I will include persepctives from both._

_4\. Optimistically, this will have two parts and an epilogue. We'll see, because I have other works in progress and it depends on my motivation and other commitments._

_5\. Finally, my writing style is not the best. It's not as sophisticated as some of the other writers, but I will try my best not to get too repetitive. Also, I don't have a beta reader, so please excuse any typos._

_Please enjoy and review _Waning Moon_, a Harry Potter fanfiction!_

* * *

When the Death Eaters stormed the train, Luna wasn't surprised. Her father never censored his conversations with her, and Luna knew exactly what was happening. And contrary to what most people thought, she wasn't stupid. She was in Ravenclaw, after all. She simply chose to rely on animals rather than her brain. Muggles and wizards were being targeted. No one was safe.

A hazy solemnity had surrounded the students, and their auras made them prime hosts for Wrackspurts. She wanted to share the special dance she knew to ward the niggling creatures away, but she refrained herself. There was no tolerance for that.

She sat in a compartment with Neville and Ginny, but their conversations weren't filled with the easygoing chatter it usually had. Luna missed Harry and Hermione, and Ron a bit too. She hoped they were okay.

The bubble of dullness that was September first was popped, as a black-robed, silver-masked Death Eater appeared in their compartment. Ginny screamed, and Neville shushed her. Students outside cowered, trying to inch away, but more figures blocked them, barricading them, suffocating them. The Death Eater grabbed Luna.

She didn't struggle. There was no use. No reason to anger them. Perhaps a Blibbering Humdinger would come, as they did when one was in distress. It was too risky for a signal cry of distress, she decided, so she put up no resistance as the Death Eater gripped her arm. They Disapparated, leaving behind Ginny and Neville shouting defiantly.

_My trunk_, Luna thought, but she brushed away the trivial worry. The indignant screams and the scared pleas for mercy still rang in her ears. They had clearly come for her, why scare the rest?

* * *

They stood outside a tall, shrouded house. It was right next to a forest (full of Nargles). There were three Death Eaters, and they nudged her forwards, where the house loomed. Inside, the Dark Mark and the Slytherin crest were emblazoned on banners. Everything was musty.

They led her to a large room, windowless, and shoved her to her knees. They finally removed their masks and took their seats in plain armchairs along a wall.

Luna studied their faces, noting each one. She recognized them all, from their Wanted posters. Antonin Dolohov, Fenrir Greyback, and-

Blaise Zabini.

She knew _of _him. She knew that he was a year ahead of her, in Slytherin. She had been attending school with a future Death Eater. Disgust curdled inside her.

Dolohov spoke, seemingly the leader. "Hello, Miss Lovegood. Welcome."

She stared at the ground. '_Luna, my love,' _her father had told her. '_If you obey, they'll always show mercy. Do what they say, and you'll be safe._'

Her wand, usually tucked behind her ear, was in her trunk on the train, as were her Gurdyroots. She was completely defenseless. "I'm sure you're wondering why you're here," Dolohov continued. "Well, your father has been supporting Harry Potter in his ridiculous magazine. Not only that, you're close with Potter. Therefore, you can be used as a bargaining chip in many, many ways. So we're detaining you. And if you behave, we might even let you go. Not too much torture- don't want to spill too much pure blood. We also don't want to mar that pretty little face, now, do we?"

Luna stayed very still.

"Speaking of." He pulled out a knife. She flinched, but he only smirked and began cleaning his nails. "This location is ideal because it's abandoned. So we can use you for Zabini's rite of passage."

The Slytherin stood up. He looked bored.

"Greyback was eager to have you, but Zabini assured him that he could do the job," Dolohov gloated. "So, Zabini, by all means. Rape her. Then you'll be fully pledged."

Luna's head snapped up. "No."

She didn't want sex, had never wanted sex. Her father, although pureblood, never imposed arranged marriage or betrothals or other customs he deemed silly. She had no interest in sex. But Blaise removed her shoes, socks, skirt. He untied her Ravenclaw tie, unbuttoned her shirt, unhooked her bra. He used her tie to bind her wrists to her waist, each movement painstakingly drawn out, making Luna physically ache with fear and anger.

He dragged her underwear down her legs. Luna felt tears drip down her face. Her body shook. "Please," she begged. "Blaise."

Blaise looked away.

He pressed her body down, his chest against hers. And then he sheathed himself inside her.

Luna screamed. She felt like she was being torn apart, physically and mentally. He kissed her, perhaps to try to quell her, but she thrashed. She would fight. Blaise Zabini, whom she had never spoken to before, was so far inside her she thought her pelvis would shatter.

When he began to move, in and out, each thrust going in deeper, each one more painful, she screamed and sobbed. She heard other Ravenclaw girls talking about sex (never to her), how it hurt at first but was so, _so _enjoyable.

Nothing would ever heal her.

When he moved his lips from hers, strong arms pinning her down, Blaise moved and pressed kisses to her chest. Her body shook under his. She met his eyes once, and there was nothing in them. No passion or feeling, not even sadism or glee.

Then he removed himself from her. Stood up and dressed.

All through it, his face remained impassive. Cold, hard stone. A mask of no emotions.

She lay there, gasping. He stepped away. She was stripped down, raw, _nothing_, nothing but a sex toy for Blaise Zabini to use, nothing but a body for the Death Eaters to pawn off. She had been used. Her body ached, blood smeared in her legs. Dolohov was laughing, the sound piercing Luna's ears. "She's your pet now, Zabini. Great job, my boy. Bring her to the dungeon."

* * *

_He brought Luna to a cell, bent shackles around her wrists and waist, chaining her to a sitting position. Yet more chains connected her to the wall. She couldn't move, like a scolded dog. That's what she was. That's what they all were. They were the Dark Lord's dogs. Pets. And now he had one. Now he was master to one, the Hogwarts insanity. _

_He was assigned to this pit, because it was near a forest for runaway frequents. Blaise knew it was because he had no family ties to the organization, was a new member, had to prove himself. Which was twisted given the circumstances he joined. He wasn't bitter. There were prisoners brought in daily. He had a job to do._

_This was just another task. Another chore. _

_That's what he told himself._

_He strode out of the cell without looking back. Went to his room. Sat on the bed._

_And began hating himself very, very much._

* * *

Luna woke up with her head throbbing, her throat sore. And movement of her legs sent a sharp pang through her. A house-elf was sponging her forehead. "Hello, miss," the elf squeaked. "My name is Tubsy."

Luna nodded, trying to smile. But how could she, when her world had been shattered? "Food," she managed to croak. "Please."

Tubsy shook her head. "Healing potions, miss." She fed them to Luna, explaining each one. Slowly, her headache dissipated, her legs stopped hurting, her throat lost its soreness. But nothing stopped the hole in her soul. She hated how she lost what was hers, how she never gave consent, that she lost her virginity to a man who took it as a prize, as a duty.

Tubsy held the last potion. "This one... tis a nasty one," she mumbled. "I wish I couldn't give it to you, but..." With a squeal, she set the vial down and banged her head against the wall. "Bad! Bad! Bad Tubsy!" she shrieked. She stopped after five, and stared at Luna with wide eyes. "The potion sustains life, miss. You won't need to eat."

"Why would I need such a potion?" Luna asked tiredly.

"They don't want to keep unchaining yous, miss, to relieve yourself," Tubsy said. "You'll live."

Luna accepted the potion. She didn't feel like fighting, and especially not with the one person who was civil to her. Tubby, although being an elf, was more human than her captors.

And then he walked in. Tubsy bowed and vanished with a _crack_, and Luna was alone. Blaise opened her cell door and sat down across from her.

After a beat, Luna began straining against the chains, the shackles cutting and digging into her naked body. She would not obey her captors. She would die for herself. She was not to be used. She was a person. But her bonds restricted her. She was crying as she screamed, "Why? _Why?_"

Blaise's face didn't change. "Why, what?"

"Why did you join them?" asked Luna, speaking as clearly and calmly as she could. "Why are we here? What is happening? Who else joined? Why did you volunteer to rape me?" She hated that her voice broke on the last two words.

"I chose the winning side. War is inevitable, it is coming. The Dark Lord will triumph. I choose victory. If that makes me a coward or a monster, so be it." He paused. "As for you, I volunteered because Greyback wanted you. He would have torn you apart. He would have made it infinitely more painful, drawn it out to make you suffer."

"But why do I have to be your pet?"

Blaise sighed. "Would you like to me to brand you with the Dark Mark right now? Then you won't have to be treated like this. They want to degrade any Potter supporter. They want to downplay any actions taken by the Order. Or do you want me to take you to Malfoy Manor? They have a personal brothel, a row of beds with more girls. I'm eighteen and you're sixteen. In there, they have a thirteen year old who is taken by thirty-and-forty-year-olds. So would you rather be theirs, or mine?"

"But why can't you have hope for what you believe? For what's right?" Luna pressed.

Blaise scoffed, the first sign of emotion from, even it it was derisive. "A dangerous time to have faith. For those on Potter's side, those who blindly trust him, they're going to need a hell of a lot more than hope."

"What about your moral code, Blaise?" Luna tried, temper rising. How corrupted they all were.

"Everyone has something worth protecting and sacrificing for. Even if it makes me a monster, I'll do whatever it takes. So you think I'm a monster, Luna?"

She didn't hesitate. "Yes, or course."

He began pacing, getting slightly agitated. His handsome face was hidden in the shadows. "I could do a lot worse, you know. I could make you serve in my bed every night. I could give you alcohol, violate you in your sleep. But I won't."

"You raped me!" Luna screamed. "Do you want a prize for not doing worse, Blaise? You are a monster! You're one of them!"

Blaise smirked, showing that arrogant Slytherin he had been at school. "You should thank whatever god you live by that I'm your master. It's intriguing to know, however, that the dreamy confusion was just a facade."

Luna sat back. "Can you at least unchain me?"

She was surprised when he raised his wand. Her chains vanished. And then she lunged at him; lunged for the door.

Blaise caught her, he was physically stronger, so he was able to pin her arms behind her back and set her down; her chains reappeared. Luna sighed, she knew it wouldn't have worked. But she was going to take every chance.

He met her eyes, a bit of admiration and shock lingered. But he shook his head. "What were you trying to accomplish? That would be suicide." He closed her cell door and walked out. Luna hoped he wouldn't be back.

* * *

Days and nights passed; they ran together. As she received no meals, she could not count the days. She slept (and vomited from the nightmares), and cried. It was stupid, mourning her situation and hoping to escape. Her only comfort was Tubsy, who replenished her potions. Luna begged her for a Dreamless Sleep potion, but Tubsy could not smuggle it to her and work around her binding orders.

Luna also was in shock. Her Blibbering Humdinger had failed her. All of her incantations, dances, and motions had failed her. No one could help her. She was alone, and that was almost as heartbreaking and earth-shattering as her circumstances. It was a cruel introduction to the reality that everyone else had been living in.

The cell was cold. Luna gave up trying to breathe on her limbs to warm herself, because her bare body was pressed against the cold cell with iron shackles. She huddled against the wall, because that was all she could do. The chains were just another way to humiliate her. Often, there was another prisoner or two, but they left almost as quickly as they came. Killed, she supposed.

After what seemed like centuries, Tubsy unlocked her chains. She waved her long fingers, and Luna's skin was pristine, her hair was braided with strands of silver, and a set of lacy black lingerie appeared on her. "You is going to a revelry, miss. The Dark Lord has asked Death Eaters of all locations to meet him at Malfoy Manor. Master Blaise is taking Miss Luna with him," Tubsy whispered, looking fearful.

Blaise entered, every inch radiating leisure and grace. Luna raised her hooded eyes, her head had been bowed. He extended a hand, every inch the master summoning a pet. Luna tried to move, but after days of misuse and coldness, her limbs failed her. They shook when she put support on them, and she stayed seated. Tubsy bowed deeply to Blaise, and nodded to Luna with a hint of a smile. Tubsy vanished.

Blaise wasn't wearing his customary Death Eater robes, but a black button-down and black pants. His sleeves were rolled up to reveal a corded, veiny forearm, and a Dark Mark writhing on his skin. She tried not to stare at it and focused on moving.

She supposed she could crawl, but before she could debate the merits, he picked her up as if she weighed nothing. Luna stiffened, as his Dark Mark was pressing against her thigh. "If you let me brand you, you wouldn't have to dress like that."

"Never," she breathed, her voice also weak.

They Apparated away, appearing in front of a mansion. "This is Malfoy Manor. If you do as I say, you won't get killed. If you try to escape, I cannot make an excuse for you," Blaise warned.

Luna tried not to balk and shake as they walked through the crowd of Death Eaters. So much evil in one place. These were experienced killers, torturers; people feared them. She kept her eyes down, tried to be invisible. But her body was almost fully on display, and she was being carried through a sea of black. Her skin was almost as pale as some of theirs, but they were covered.

Blaise brought them to chairs in the back. He sat down, setting her on his lap. Luna raised her head quickly, did a quick scan of the room. The Dark Lord wasn't there. She let out a tiny sigh.

It twisted her gut, sitting on the lap of her rapist. "Head down, Luna," Blaise said, pressing her head to the crook of his neck, almost condescending. He snatched a flask of whiskey from the tray of a passing house-elf.

"Does everyone keep pets?" Luna asked.

He took a swig of his drink. "Yes, in crude ways. A show of power, I suppose. They want to show that rebels can easily be disposed. Death, sex, torture. If you have a pretty face, you're a pet."

"What about the other prisoners at the house? Why am I the only pet?" she continued.

"They have deemed you the only one attractive enough to share a Death Eater's bed. Their words," Blaise said, now with a bit of contempt.

Luna wasn't sure how to interpret his tone, but she asked, "Why did you bring me here? No one else brought their pet."

Blaise swirled the alcohol. "Greyback and Dolohov stayed behind. You would have been alone with them-" He broke his words off.

Two boys approached them. Luna knew them: Slytherin, same year as Blaise. Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott. Their moon-white faces shone with cruel amusement at seeing Luna. She met the gray eyes of Draco, her biggest Hogwarts bully. They could have been twins. She shifted, the tip of her braid brushing against the strap of her underwear.

Blaise placed a hand on her thigh. The gesture was clear in its intention: _She's mine_. It was possessive, claiming. "Did you need something?"

"We just came to see if the rumors were true," Theodore drawled. "The joke of Hogwarts is your pet, Zabini. You're lucky, though. Never realized she had such a good body. Let me have a night with her."

Blaise responded, sounding bored, "Fuck your own whore."

Luna looked at him, almost shocked. This was the first crude thing she'd heard him say. There was a smirk on his face, the cold smile chilling her.

Draco leered at her. "She's pureblooded, too." He reached for her, reached for her chest.

"Don't touch her," Blaise said, a subtle, growling undertone to his words.

For a second, Draco and Theodore blinked. But then they grinned, giving a last glance at Luna and retreating.

Blaise kept his hand on her leg for hours. They sat in silence, watching Death Eaters drink and speak with one another. Blaise himself drank for the majority of the night, sipping on a Clear Head potion a few times so as to not get drunk. And when they brought out hooded prisoners; Muggles, for entertainment, Blaise stood up, keeping Luna on the chair and joining in on the killings. Luna closed her eyes.

* * *

Luna was put in her cell, Blaise leaving with no further words. She was exhausted, slumping back, chains rustling. As of then, there was only one other prisoner.

"Luna?"

"Dean?" she gasped, voice cracking.

Dean Thomas stared back at her in horror. "What the hell happened to you, Luna? Who did this to you?" the Gryffindor asked.

"Tell me why you're here first," Luna demanded.

"I'm a Muggle-born. On the run. They caught me and know I'm close to Harry. Now tell me what happened to you, Luna."

Luna told him the story, finishing off with the revelry she had just come from. Her stomach lurched at the memory of burning flesh, the anguished screams, the jets of light. Blaise had only performed the Cruciatus Curse and the Killing Curse, unlike the others, who were more sadistic.

"That _son of a bitch_," Dean ground out. "Him and the others. All of them."

Blaise walked in, went to unlock Dean's cell door. Dean lunged at him, as Luna had. "You motherfucking snake! You bastard! Your mother was a whore, why the fuck would you make Luna one?"

There was a _bang, _and Dean flew back, hit the wall. He crumpled to the ground. Blaise yanked him up by his neck, and without warning, punched Dean in the nose. Luna yelped. "Don't ever speak to me again, Mudblood," Blaise snarled.

"Fuck y-"

Blaise jammed his wand into Dean's forehead. "Think about whether you want to finish that sentence," he said with deadly, knife-sharp calm. "Move. You're being interrogated. Tell us about Potter and we'll let you go."

Luna wasn't sure why she was shocked. He was a Death Eater. That was what they did. Tubsy came to take her for a bath, and she wondered why she was afforded this luxury, when before Tubsy had used magic to clean her. She was still to weak to walk, since she had not used her limbs and they were sore from the chains. So Tubsy Apparated up to a bathroom. Luna wanted to cry with relief at the warm water and steam, but it seemed silly. The trivial things she had loved seemed so stupid now.

When she returned, Dean was kneeling in his cell- bruised, bloody, groaning. Tubsy locked her back up (with remorse and apology in her eyes) and left without further words. "Dean!" Luna cried. "What did they do?"

"I'm fine. They asked about Harry's plans and such. Not that he told me. Luckily, they didn't have any Veritaserum on hand. Are you o-"

"Yes," she said quickly, not wanting him to know that while he had been tortured, she'd gotten a bath. "Why don't you just tell them what you know? Maybe they'll let you go."

''Never," Dean said adamantly.

"Haven't you started losing hope?"

"It seems that there is nothing to do _but _hope."

* * *

_Blaise often settled with a bottle at the end of the day. He used drink to drown out his evils. His sins. He liked beer and mead and wine and rum, but he liked whiskey the best. Whatever was available. One time, he'd gotten so desperate, he'd downed a bottle of butterbeer with Pepperup Potion. He needed that release. He took care to have a Clear Head potion on hand, but he let himself drink himself into oblivion._

_His days at the manor were pointless, but he didn't care. He didn't care about any of them. _

_He was that type of self-serving person who could and would play each side to save his own skin. He didn't have any true loyalties, with the exception to one. _Don't feel anything._ It's better that way. He didn't care. Damn it all to hell. They could all die in the fucking pit and he would be glad he lived to see another day._

* * *

Luna had been at the manor's dungeon for two months when she was moved.

It was early November, and unbearably cold. Dean passed through the bars his ragged sweater, but Luna could only awkwardly twist around her chains to get it on her, like a blanket. Her thin lingerie might as well have not been there.

A new influx of people occupied all of the cells. Some of the cells had six or seven people. Luna was kept in her own cell, but the ten other cages were filled with prisoners. That earned her bitter glares, as if she wasn't chained. She was the only 'pet', but she didn't allow herself to be embarrassed. It wasn't her fault. No one spoke, no one moved.

Then Fenrir Greyback came in. It was close to the full moon, Luna guessed, because the bulky man looked feral and sickly. Everyone cringed, looked away. He prowled up to Luna's cell.

It seemed everyone watched with bated breaths. He broke her chains with his bare hands, ignoring her cries of shock. "Come, girl," he growled.

Luna didn't want to tell him that she couldn't walk. Her legs were frozen and weak. He should have known that; she had been chained and it wasn't like she could run circles around the dungeon. With a snarl, he tossed her over his shoulder and ascended the steps.

She mustered all of her courage and asked, "Where are we going? Why am I being moved?"

He scoffed. "Goin' to Zabini's bedroom. You're 'is pet, after all. Need more room for them Mudbloods in the dungeon. You're lucky e's your master, you are. I'd have my way and bitten you if 'e 'adn't told me to stay away." He opened a door and threw her inside the room. Luna could see his smile as he closed the door. "Nighty-night."

She was lucky, she supposed. His room was warmer, the hard floor was clean, it was larger. The room was dark, like the dungeon, but she could make out the objects. A bed, tucked in the corner. A small table, with a few vials of potions and bottles of alcohol. A chair. A door, which she guessed led to a closet, and another open door, which was the bathroom. Everything was plain, there was no decoration or adornment.

Luna crawled across the floor. She couldn't stand. The bathroom had a shower stall, a sink, a toilet, and a cabinet. The cabinet held a toothbrush and paste, a jar, and a straight razor.

Most wizards, like her father, used an enchanted one or a shaving charm. But this one sat; cool, slim, and sharp; unforgiving. It was a Muggle razor. She picked up the blade.

Could she do it? Would it make her feel better? As a retribution? She wasn't sure why she was valued so much by the Death Eaters- they could have just killed her. She could punish them.

But to do so would punish her father, if she ever got out. It would punish her friends. It would punish the animals that needed her- the beautiful, ethereal creatures that needed her. (They didn't need her, though, she needed them.)

She set down the razor and crawled out of the bathroom. She sat, propped against the bed, and let her head fall against it. She almost moaned in ecstasy. But then she stiffened, as she realized that moving to Blaise's room would not be the best idea.

Would she be expected to have sex with him? She wasn't sure if she could do it willingly. She knew she couldn't. He would take her by force. To do that a second time would tear her apart. To do that a third time, she would use the razor.

She looked up, and Blaise stood there. He had closed the door. She tensed, and she realized that she was afraid.

The thought was almost comical. She was afraid? She had witnessed death at nine years old. She wasn't afraid of much. But she was scared of this eighteen-year-old Death Eater, who could kill without blinking, who could torture without emotion, who could rape without feeling.

She didn't jump at him. She had no strength. And even if she did, she wouldn't. The fight was leaving Luna Lovegood.

"Get up," he said.

"I can't," she admitted. "You should know that, though, since you're the one who chained me to the wall. I couldn't move."

He set her on his bed. She cringed, waiting for him to remove her underwear.

He didn't. He sat down on his chair and said, "Ask questions. I assume you have many. I'll answer all of them."

Luna creased her brow, wondering what he was doing. "Aren't you loyal to them?"

He scoffed, bringing a bottle of whiskey to his lips and taking a long drink. "My plan was to stay neutral, but then they used some... convincing. I was branded with the mark."

Luna asked the question, so brashly she didn't realize how it sounded. "Do you feel anything when you..."

"Torture? Kill? Rape?" Blaise said with a mirthless half-smile. "Every fucking time. They just taught me to hide it."

Luna learned things she didn't want to learn. She learned that only Draco, Theodore and Blaise joined the Death Eaters from their year. She learned that Blaise killed fifty-four people, and he remembered all of their faces. All of them. She learned that he consumed alcohol, so much so he went through eight bottles a week. She learned that his mother had indeed killed her husbands.

She also learned that he had a younger sister.

"Naomi was born when I was thirteen. She's five. My mother's sixth husband, Metias, is the father. She loves animals and creatures. She's the one who I protect. That's why I joined the Death Eaters. They told me what they would do to her if I didn't join. They knew I had the top scores of my house, and they wanted young faces for the cause. Combined with my mother's influence on the Wizarding World, I joined to keep Naomi from becoming a sex slave."

"Like me," Luna said quietly.

Something flickered in his eyes. Pain? "Like you," he agreed. "Greyback wanted to send you to Malfoy Manor."

"Why didn't he?" Luna asked, although she already knew the answer.

"You were so _innocent_," he said. "You were so _innocent_, and I destroyed that." His eyes glazed over, and he wasn't talking to her anymore. "I am a monster. But I'll do whatever it takes. I'll do whatever it takes to get out of this damn war alive, and with Naomi."

* * *

Blaise conjured a cot, and let Luna choose which one to sleep on. She chose the cot, and spent many sleepless nights there hyperventilating, thrashing from the nightmares she had. When she calmed down, Blaise was always watching her; alert. His eyes were always on her.

She spent the time alone regaining strength. She used Blaise's bed for support. She had to practice standing. And when a month had passed, she could make it across the room. How weak she had become, needing to use a rail to stumble along with like a toddler.

It was December, Blaise stormed into their room and punched the wall. Luna's head snapped up. "They're going to search your body," Blaise said, calming down. "They know I haven't used you since that first day and they're going to search you using a charm. And if that charm shows them the results they expect, they will kill you."

Luna nodded. "Would you like me to drug you? Obligate you?" Blaise asked, almost kindly.

She shook her head. "You have to do it quickly."

He removed her underwear and bra, laid her down on his bed. He entered her body for the second time. It hurt as much as it did at first, but soothed over time. Blaise didn't move, they just lay there, listening to each other's panting breaths.

And then he stood up. Luna didn't feel quite as hollow as she had felt the first time, since she expected it, but she still mourned the violation. She didn't want to die.

True to their word, Dolohov sent Tubsy into their room, who whispered, "Ostende Mihi!" - the first verbal spell Tubsy had used.

Tubsy seemed almost relieved when light flashed purple. But then it wavered and flashed blue.

Tubsy chewed her lips, kneeling down so her batlike ears brushed Blaise's shoes. "Master Blaise, Miss Luna," she began. "Miss Luna...she...she is pregnant."


	2. reparantes

_Hello readers! This is chapter two of Waning Moon. Please review, as I am always open for feedback. I have a mistake that I made from the last chapter. __At the end of the last chapter, Blaise says "Obligate you?" and it meant to say _Obliviate_, the memory charm. My computer has spellcheck, and I don't have a beta reader. I should probably get one!_

_I have only two reviews on the first chapter, but I would like to thank _fairytalec _for the kind reviews on both of my stories, as well as the lovely messages! This is a short author's note, but the same disclaimers still apply. This is not my work. Also, I realize that I write in a choppy way, and I realize that might be irritating to read, so I am working to improve. The time is also not heavily mentioned, sometimes I say 'weeks pass' and that is difficult to catch. I don't want to confuse anyone! _

_The names of the chapters are in Latin. _

_That's all I needed to say. This is the second half of Waning Moon. An epilogue will be coming. Please enjoy!_

* * *

"I'm pregnant." Luna stood still. If she sat down, she would crumble. How cruel it was for her to bring another life into the world.

"Fuck," Blaise breathed. "Are you sure, Tubsy?"

"Yes, Master," she squeaked. "Three months pregnant. You is impregnated her in September, you have. She is been vomiting, and her cycles is stopped, and her stomach is a bit larger. It's...it's a girl, it is."

Luna thought her period had stopped because of starvation. She had thought the vomiting was from nightmares and nausea. And yet, she was pregnant. Three months pregnant. Three months she had been living there. Three months her soul had been dead. The first time she had sex, the first time she was raped.

She hadn't wanted sex, hadn't wanted any of this. She couldn't be a mother. What would her father say, if he wasn't dead? She was living for two now. "Leave, Tubsy," Blaise ordered. He turned to her. She watched his jaw twitch, veins pulsing in his forehead.

She didn't feel love or hate for her child. Only deep, unending sorrow. She had already failed at being a mother, and her baby hadn't even been born.

* * *

Blaise stumbled into the room. But his movements weren't sharp and poised and calculated as they usually were. Luna stood up quickly. "Blaise?" she asked softly.

His eyes glinted. "Am I a monster? Am I as much of a monster as the others?" he asked, slurring his words. She could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"Blaise, drink some water, clear your head," Luna tried. "You're scaring me."

He shoved her against the wall, but not forcefully enough to hurt her. The spirits were affecting his control. "You should be scared of me," he snarled. "You should. I've seen things that would _break you_."

"What's wrong? You shouldn't drink like this," Luna said, trying to keep her words measured and calm. Her breathing grew out of control. "You shouldn't-"

He slapped her.

Across the face. The _smack _resounded in her, ringing in her ears. Luna's vision tilted and warped; all breath left her body. "Don't tell me what to do," he spat. "Don't fucking _dare _to tell me what to do, you fucking bitch." He yanked her by the hair and tossed her to the ground, walked away, swearing fiendishly and crudely.

"I hope they fail. I hope they lose, I hope Potter wins, I hope I die," he said bitterly. "Fuck."

He tossed a newspaper at her, the aim sloppy. The front page of the _Daily Prophet _had a brutal headline splashed across it. _Aurora __Zabini and Daughter Found Dead_. The pictures showed two grotesque, marred bodies (one much smaller than the other); camera flashes illuminating the corpses. Luna looked up.

Blaise was crouching on his knees, kneeling, shaking, crying. The composed boy at Hogwarts, the graceful Death Eater, the stone-cold 'master' was gone; here was an eighteen-year-old boy sobbing for his sister. Dignity be damned. The most human he'd even been.

Luna stayed in silence. She could not comfort this wild, unpredictable, drunk person. Blaise stopped crying; his handsome face was not red or twisted, but earthshattering grief lingered in his eyes. "Look at you," he said. There was no disdain, only regret. "Sixteen and pregnant. Caged. Look at me. A son of a bitch-" he laughed- "a bastard, a Death Eater. Look at us. I have broken you- a stupid, optimistic, innocent girl.

"Do you know what they did for the induction?" Blaise scoffed, his eyes bloodshot, fidgeting with his family crest ring. "They branded me, told me to kill, and then made a blood bond with Him. Look at me, speaking of him as if he is a god. He might as well be. He holds all of our power. I can't switch sides now. A new measure of loyalty. They killed my bargaining chip, my motivator, to ensure my loyalty. And now they have it."

He sprung up, suddenly violent. He threw the potions against the wall, upturned the table and chair, punched the wall-

"_Stupefy!_"

Luna stood, the flow and relief of magic coursing through her. It had been months since she'd held a wand, and she was glad to now, even one as cursed and dark as this one, even one that held many sins.

Blaise fell.

She used his wand to repair the room- "_Tergeo, Reparo," - _and force-fed him some Clear Head potion from the potion bottles she repaired.

She took a deep breathe. She was scared of him now. _"__Rennervate_," she whispered.

His eyes fluttered open. They were open so wide she could see the whites, stark contrast against his skin.

Two pairs of eyes- one smoky silvery gray, the other dark and swirling- met each other. They were battered, bruised by the strain of evil. One brought it, one felt it.

The war raged on.

* * *

_Blaise had had his first drink at age twelve. It had been during the summer holidays. He was often alone at the manor, with his mother gallivanting around the world with a new suitor. Her Italian charm brought her fame and wealth. And him._

_He hadn't needed any tricks or bribery to get into his mother's expensive liquor cellar. She left it unlocked, sometimes open. She took no precautions; nothing in her lifestyle had changed since having a son. _

_So twelve-year-old Blaise had went to her liquor supply, and selected a handsome bottle and crystal decanter. He needn't tiptoe around doubts or worries. He poured the liquid into the glass, and downed it._

_He hadn't hated it as much as he had thought. Or hoped. He swallowed too easily, and closed his eyes. _

_At the tender age of twelve, Blaise was sick of life. He was sick of his friends bullying the first years, Potter. He never joined in, never saw the point, but he knew it was petty. He was sick of his mother, prioritizing her flighty lovers over her flesh and blood. He was tired of everything. He was lucky to be comfortable, to be rich, to be alive._

_So he sat. And breathed. And drank._

* * *

The beginning of Luna's ending was her first hallucination. She was deteriorating. She was losing her sanity. Blaise opened the door to his room, and Luna was there, waiting for him. Her silver eyes glowed. "Hello," she whispered. "Who are you?"

She pressed her bony fingers to Blaise's lips. She liked the look of her ghostly skin against Blaise's dark skin. She wanted to laugh and scream until the world ended. "Why am I here?" she asked, tilting her head.

Blaise stared at her. She wanted to capture the color of his eyes and paint it. She wanted to paint him. Here he was, painfully handsome, a beautiful wielder of death. How many had he killed? How many screamed and cried at his hands?

Beautiful harborer of demise. Beautiful death. Beautiful war, beautiful pain.

"Do you know what it's like? Carrying another life inside of you? In this world? A burden?" she turned and sat on the bed. "When the gods and demons will curse you for failing? When the angels of death howl in delight? They get to take two lives when I die."

She clutched her stomach, laughing to herself. "I know who you are now. We could get married. Forget the whole thing. You have an heir now, Blaise. Are you happy now? You're an esteemed Death Eater, respected, feared. Now you have everything." She sat up straighter. "Come closer."

Blaise stepped closer.

She took his left hand.

She was tired of being restrained. She wanted to be free- free, fly free like all of the creatures she adored. She hadn't thought of them in a while. A burst of giggles fell from her lips. "Do you see them?" she asked, lifting her eyes to the ceiling. "They wait. They linger in the shadows." A sob caught in her throat. "I don't want to die."

She laughed, the sound hollow and desperate, and for a moment she was the whimsical Luna she had been at Hogwarts. Blaise had taken that away from her. She didn't care, she wanted to bleed red for the world to see, to satisfy her demons-

She pulled on Blaise's wrist to the bathroom. Before he could convince her otherwise, she grabbed his razor and slit her wrist. She started in delight at the blood, laughed triumphantly and then it turned into a howl. Blaine tried to still her arm, but she shook him off. "Here!" she yelled. "Here's my pure blood. Red and true, just like a Muggle-born."

She fell to the ground, writhing. Face twisted with mirth, anguish, pain, fear.

Blaise finally grabbed her wrist and tapped it with his wand. The wound closed, and he whispered, in a slightly shaking voice, "_Rennervate_."

Luna's world stilled and cleared. She didn't realize that it had been shaking and resounding. She was sane, but would it last? "Oh," she whispered. "Oh, my goodness..."

She pressed a hand to her mouth. Blaine watched, impassive, as she sat up and sobbed. She took great, shuddering breaths that racked her body, tears streaming down her face.

"Let me go," she begged. "Please, Blaise."

He almost looked regretful. "They'll kill you and your father, they'll hunt you down."

She nodded, and Blaise crouched down. He raised his hands to her cheeks, pressed his forehead to hers. "I will protect you," he whispered. "I swear."

They sat, in silence and solidarity, for they were both trapped and scarred. They mourned.

Over the next few weeks, Luna subjected to bouts and lapses of insanity. She laughed, cried, screamed, shook. She spent hours clawing at her hair. Blaise took away all sharp objects while he was gone. She saw Greyback, gnawing on her leg. She saw Draco, leaning over and in her. She saw more chains, more shackles. Jets of light. Corpses. Children wailing. She saw Blaise pointing a wand at her, pain coursing through her body.

Her stomach also got bigger.

* * *

Tubsy only braided her hair when there was an occasion. One that involved putting Luna on display. When Luna asked what she was to do, Tubsy only gasped, "He's coming."

When Blaise came to his room to summon her, she asked him frantically what to do. "Kneel by my chair, keep your head down. Be invisible."

She knelt on the freezing floor. Blaise's left arm dropped down, she took his hand, carefully avoiding his Dark Mark. The room got colder, Luna did not dare look up.

The three men stood up and bowed to the Dark Lord. Luna kept her head down. Dolohov launched into a report of the huntings, the killings, Harry. All the while, Luna clutched Blaise's left hand, his family ring digging into her fingers.

Her legs grew number and her back ached as she stayed. "Who is this?" Voldemort asked. Luna's gut clenched. He was talking about her.

She did not dare look up.

"A prisoner, My Lord," Blaise answered smoothly.

"Why is she so valuable?" Voldemort asked, although there was no curiosity in his high, cruel voice.

Blaise huffed out a laugh. "She's pregnant, My Lord, and a pureblood as well. I will need to take an heir soon."

Voldemort dismissed the conversation and turned back to Dolohov. "Continue with your orders, Dolohov."

And then he vanished. Blaise grabbed her wrist and brought her back upstairs. "I'm sorry," he said, quietly.

Luna tried to control her breathing. The room had gotten so dark. There had been pure evil, threatening to crush her, warp her mind, rip her to shreds. Overbearing. Lingering. She couldn't catch her breath. She couldn't breathe.

She wouldn't breathe. She _couldn't fucking breathe_-

She didn't realize that she was kneeling on the ground, hands twisted in her hair, pulling. She couldn't see. She was going blind.

Ragged pants fell from her. Her hands tore from her head, going to her mouth, shaking.

She was going to die.

Blaise raised his hands to her shoulders. "Luna, look at me," he said.

She couldn't. Not at this monster of a man who did nothing to help, who stood by as she fell apart, who claimed he was trying to help her but was conflicted. Was he scared? Why was it so hard for him to do the right thing?

A sob caught in her throat. "Can I sleep with you tonight?" she asked. She was almost embarrassed. He was her rapist. She shouldn't give him any regard. But he was all she had.

"Of course," said Blaise softly, no judgement in his voice.

She set her head in the crook of his arm, and tried to find solace. She found solidarity.

As two bodies, they needed each other. At the end of the day, they spoke about everything and nothing, and Luna found that helped her sanity. "Can you speak any other languages?" she asked on one such time.

"Italian and French," he answered. "My mother made me learn, as some of her husbands did not speak English."

"I can speak French, and several creature dialects," she responded proudly. "Thestrals, mermaids, trolls, pixies."

Blaise nodded. "I know," he said. "You told me once."

_Luna pushed through the compartment door of the fifth-year Slytherins. Sullen and sallow faces flared back at her. "_

Quibbler _for sale," she said. "Would you like one?"_

_"No one fucking cares about your daddy's magazine, Lovegood," Draco Malfoy said lazily. "Get the fuck out."_

_Instead of cowering or fleeing, Luna smiled beatifically and walked to stand in front of Draco, eyes fixed on a point beyond him. She placed a hand on his head, almost condescendingly. "You should stop putting so much product in your hair. It makes you look like a murtlap. A few of the thestrals are teaching me other dialects, and they have a lot to say about swaggering swots such as yourself."_

_Blaise Zabini cracked a smile, the only one of them to do so. He smirked at her as she exited the compartment, hair swinging behind her. _

* * *

"Tubsy will leave in ten minutes."

Luna looked over. Blaise was pulling his Death Eater robes over his clothes; he held his mask in his hands. "We're attacking Hogwarts. Warn them. I will tell the others that I killed you. Tubsy will take you to Hogwarts. Fight for the light side. After this, everything will change. This will be written into history as the battle that rocked the world."

Luna nodded, struck at the prospect of everything. "Do...do you have clothes?" she asked. "I need some."

Blaise took out an extra pair of pants and a shirt. He shrunk them (_"Reducio!"_), and passed them over. And then he dropped to his knees before Luna. Desperation shone in his eyes. He was there for her to command, cast away, disregard. He took her hand in his. "Please," he begged. "Let's run away. I know that's cowardly, but we're to have a child. It deserves a chance at life. Please."

Luna licked her lips, looking away as tears sparkled in her eyes. "I am part of this war, Blaise. You are too. It's better to be dead with morals than alive with none." She dropped to her knees, pressing her forehead to his, their knit brows touching. She gripped his muscled, tense arms. "Thank you, Blaise," she whispered. "You helped me in this hellhole."

He nodded, drawing a breath, and handed her his wand.

Immediately, Luna felt all of the pain and anguish radiating from it. "Take it," he said. "I can get another one."

They exhaled; this was over, this was done.

"I hope we never face each other in this battle. If we see each other again, I will be your master once more, or a prisoner." He stood up; kissed her forehead once. "Give them hell, Luna."

Luna was free. She was leaving her prison.

She would fight.

* * *

Tubsy brought them to Professor McGonagall's office. She set Luna on the carpet, bowed, and vanished. "Miss...Miss Lovegood," McGonagall gasped. She set her spectacles down and rushed over.

Luna gripped onto her arms as if they were lifelines; tears were streaming down her face. "They're coming," she rasped. "Blaise told me. The Death Eaters are storming Hogwarts. Get everyone out."

Luna ran through the crowd. Her feet were destroyed; she had no shoes. Her face was smeared with soot, her eyes were stinging with smoke and remorse. The ashy and acrid scent wafted through her, as if it were poison, cutting into her.

* * *

Luna was battling a masked Death Eater. He was on the weaker side, and she knew she was lucky. But after months of not using magic, no physical activity, and the shock of the events put her at a disadvantage. And she was pregnant. She gasped as a spell cut a slash into her arm, and she stumbled.

He took the chance to blast another spell, knocking her back onto the ground. He towered over her, bringing his wand up, preparing to bring it down in a beautiful slash of death. An arc of murder.

And then he froze. Fell to the side.

Blaise was there, his face frozen in anger. He grabbed her wrist, rushing her off to an alcove in the hallway, hidden away for a moment. "Where else are you hurt?" he demanded, healing her arm wound.

"Nowhere else," Luna said. "You should go, Blaise-"

He stepped away, but with an afterthought, returned. "Here," he said, voice barely above a whisper. He slid his family ring on Luna's finger. "If things go wrong- they'll know that you're with me. If- if I don't make it, tell our child I'm sorry. You don't have to tell her about me-"

"I will," Luna said, her voice quiet.

He took a breath. His throat bobbed. "We might not get out of here alive. And if I don't, tell her I'm sorry for raping her mom, sorry that I failed her, sorry that I died."

Luna couldn't speak. She nodded.

He walked away from her, looking back. "I am sorry."

* * *

Luna limped through the midst of death. She was dying, or dead. She might as well have been. Just a walking skeleton. Just a walking corpse. Apparently no one had qualms with cursing a pregnant teenager. Everything hurt, she had seen death and gore and pain like never before. Even if she made it through the night, she wouldn't want to see the light. She couldn't live if others died.

A few of her ribs were broken, she thought, maybe some internal bleeding. And then she saw Blaise again, battling another student. He was wearing his mask, but she recognized the easy grace and confidence, even while fighting. She realized that he was fighting a Ravenclaw.

She recognized the Ravenclaw's face, a seventh year. Whip-smart. He matched Blaise's power. And then Blaise paused.

His opponent took that as an opportunity- raising his wand- and then Luna cast a Shield Charm between them.

The Ravenclaw was blasted back. Luna went to Blaise's side. "You didn't fight back!" she screamed, slapping his face. "You imbecile, you need to live."

Blaise shook his head, a mirthless smile on his face. "I don't deserve to. But you do. Go. Leave this place."

And then Dolohov saw them. Blaise pushed Luna behind him.

"I thought you killed her, Zabini," he sneered. "And now you're helping her escaoe. Betrayal, if I've ever seen it."

He didn't give them a chance before he cast the Cruciatus on them. Luna knew that her baby would not survive.

She and Blaise turned to each other, gripping their arms, tears streaming down their faces.

Dolohov paused, his cruel face twisted, contorted in disgust. "One last chance, Zabini. Kill her, and I will let you go."

Blaise paused, fingering his wand. And then he drew it on Dolohov, his ethereal face twisted in a sneer. He spat in Dolohov's face. "Burn in hell, Antonin."

_Draco grabbed Blaise's arm. "Come on," his best friend gasped. "He's calling us all back, to the Forest."_

_Blaise couldn't go. Luna was gone, she could be hurt-_

_"Please," Draco begged. "I can't go alone. My parents aren't there."_

_Blaise looked at him, looking like a scared teenager. The same person who spoke so crudely about Luna, who uttered curses with a smile. All the bravado gone without his throne. _

_Draco's eyes grew desperate and wild. "I thought we were friends, Zabini."_

_Blaise grinned coldly. He was a Slytherin. They didn't have friends. _

* * *

Luna couldn't be there. She couldn't be on the side with the Death Eaters at this stalemate. Voldemort stood triumphantly, his back to them, as Harry's body lay broken in Hagrid's arms. She couldn't be there. She had to make her allegiance _known_\- she surged forward-

Blaise's arms grabbed hers, pinning them behind her. She struggled wordlessly, needing to be safe but he kept her back. "Don't," he whispered. "Please. You'll die."

She didn't care-

She saw Seamus Finnigan, sweet Seamus, who she had met in Dumbledore's Army and who had treated her like a friend. Ginny, who looked like she was going to cry when she caught Luna's eyes. Dean, Neville- they were all whispering for her, angrily demanding that Blaise let her go.

She knew Blaise was trying to protect her, but she didn't care. She needed to _go_. She could die, and it would be for Harry. It would be for them, it would have been worth it. He brought his mouth to her ear. "You are _eight months pregnant_, Luna," Blaise said harshly. His jaw lingered near hers. "Your- our baby deserves a chance to live."

She stopped struggling when a Death Eater nearby spat at her. Blaise put a hand on her shoulder.

She was just so _tired_.

And then, they waited with bated breath as Harry circled Voldemort, two vipers hissing, waiting to strike.

And then, Voldemort stood.

And Harry fell.

And Luna felt her world unravel.


	3. perdere

_I originally had had an epilogue where Harry Potter had won, like it was in the books. _

_But I got bored. _

_Here's an AU._

_Enjoy._

* * *

"He won," Luna whispered in- shock? Horror? Disbelief? "Voldemort won." She swayed where she stood, unable to believe the fate of the Boy Who Lived.

The Boy Who Lived no more.

Luna prayed- to whom, she didn't know. She knew the dark days awaited. "Oh my goodness, Blaise, what's going to become of us?" she asked, almost dreading the answer.

* * *

_He'd managed to stay stoic when he clipped Luna's wings, he's strode out of the dungeon. The tang of smoke and ash lingered in his eyes and mouth, the acrid scent leaving the bile churning in his stomach. He went to his room and pulled out a bottle. He didn't even bother with a glass. Drink or sex, those were his releases. He had been notorious at Hogwarts, pleasuring both males and females, but it had all been consensual. Rough at times, but never forced._

_That had changed._

_So he settled with a bottle on a chair. He made it halfway through the burning liquid before he dropped it and the glass shattered. "Shit," he hissed, and clambered off the chair and to the floor._

_He hated to waste good alcohol, and he couldn't remember the Replenishing Charm. He pressed his palms to the wood and swept away the shards of glass, not caring about the cuts and the blood. He was used to it._

_He lowered his mouth, the mouth that his mother was so proud of ("Blaise, be glad you have my lips and not Pietro's horrible ones") to the whiskey and lapped it up. He tasted some of his blood, from his sliced hands. He hoped it would mask the taste of burning flesh from the revelry but it mixed with it. There Blaise Zabini crouched, on all fours like a dog, sucking his drink in his desperation for reparation to his soul. He didn't deserve it, even he knew it, but he would be damned if he knelt to the Dark Lord with a clear head._

_Luna was an angel. He pitied her, as angels were too pure. _

_Pure beings were always the ones who could have the most pain. _

* * *

_His stepfathers had not been afraid to beat him the Muggle way._

_He tried to forget about that as he beat the Muggleborns they had, because it was the Muggle way of pain._

_He knew the blows to the gut and neck and spine that could paralyze the victim._

_He knew that very well._

* * *

_He wakes up and his inner lip is in shreds, the metallic tang of blood unforgiving and cruel. He finds gouges in his palms from his fingernails, clenching his fists so hard._

_He wakes up like this many times._

* * *

After two months, it was time for another revelry. A celebration and an auction of the prisoners. The rebels who failed. Anyone who dared say anything other than Riddle's propaganda. And, of course, Muggleborns. July was usually the time Luna harvested her magical plants at home, and started her summer schoolwork.

So much had happened, each event cementing Luna's certainty that she was nothing more than a broodmare and slave.

Blaise and Luna had moved to Zabini Mansion. She was given more freedom. She was allowed to wear clothes and move about the house freely and paint. But it was being _allowed _by Blaise, as her _master, _that made her mourn. She would never be truly free, unless she denounced the Order.

Luna had given birth to her baby, who had been whisked away and placed under the care of house-elves. Her daughter was being trained to be the next heir of the Zabini line. She mourned her every day.

Blaise had offered to make her his wife. She had the option to live her life as a pureblooded lady, but as a Death Eater. No sooner had the words left his lips had her shaking her head.

As Blaise prepared for the event, he warned her. "You will see many people you know, but it is important that you don't disclose that. They hate the idea of unity or friendship among the rebels. Just- just, keep your head down as always, make them believe you're mine."

Luna ran her hands over herself, dressed in lingerie that showed her as a pet, preparing herself to be gawked at again.

Blaise handed her one of his shirts. Without question, Luna gratefully put it on, and went to button it, and Blaise stopped her. "Let me brand you there, with my family crest, so they won't touch you. They'll think it's a slave bond, but it's a glamour. It'll protect you from them, though."

She left the shirt unbuttoned, but it provided more cover. It reached her mid-thigh.

When they reached Hogwarts, Luna stopped in confusion. Blaise saw her and answered, "Bellatrix converted it from a school to a place to torture prisoners and a place to hold meetings. She trains recruits there, too."

The hallways were clear of the suits of armor and portraits, and instead had-

Luna stopped in her tracks.

There were decaying bodies nailed along the walls, as sick trophies. Triumph was measured in bloodshed. Before her nausea could surface, Blaise placed a hand on the small of her back and urged her forward to the Great Hall.

The House tables were gone, as was the teacher table. The candles remained, perhaps the only thing reminiscent of Hogwarts, but they were hardly a consolation. The slight platform that the teacher's table was on served as a makeshift stage. Chairs were scattered throughout the room.

They sat how they were expected. How they always sat. Blaise took two drinks from a passing house-elf.

And the show began.

Death Eaters jeered as prisoners were brought out. Each were given a chance to join the Death Eaters or be sold. Only one- Zacharias Smith- joined them. The spectators jeered. The others were sold. She saw Cho Chang, the Patil twins, Anthony Goldstein, Terry Boot, Lavender Brown, Katie Bell, many more, all battered and squinting into the dimly-lit crowd. The bidding commenced, with Death Eaters using _Lumos _to stake their claims.

None of them noticed or recognized Luna, but Ronald Weasley did. When he was dragged out, being proclaimed as _"Potter's lackey",_ squinting into the glare of _Lumos_, it didn't take him long to realize that Luna was the only schoolgirl in the lethal group of killers. And yet, he took the risk. Brave, impulsive, naive Ron bellowed, "_LUNA!_" and charged off the stage, fighting with his bound hands. "YOU BASTARD!" he screamed at Blaise, who stood, shifting Luna to her feet, and killed him with a wordless _Avada_.

The redhead fell.

A wail came from the stage, where Ginny Weasley saw her brother's murder.

No, the Weasleys would not go quietly.

But Draco Malfoy claimed her quickly, his wand lit brightly in the air, and he smiled at Ginny from where he stood.

"I'll kill you for that!" Ginny screamed, to whom was unsure, and Malfoy had to Stun her to get her to stop fighting.

Luna was frozen, staring at the boy who had been kind to her at school (kinder than most, at least), looking meek in his state of death. He would never be at peace, his pale and gaunt face stuck in an expression of rage and shock. Ron Weasley had chosen to fight for her. Unfortunately, he would not be considered to have had an honorable death.

Blaise had sat back down, the bidding have resumed. Luna stared back at him, face twisted with anguish. He extended a hand and beckoned her back to his lap.

_It was hardly fair, __Malfoy thought, as he watched Blaise with his pet. She was quite pretty, underneath the strange jewelry she favored at school. It was hardly fair that he got her for free, and that she was obedient and seemed to like him. She was a pureblood, and she wasn't a blood traitor. She was ideal. And Zabini, that fucker, was going to use her to get his perfect pureblood heirs. He watched them drink, speaking with their heads close together. He swigged his own drink, barely minding the burn, and began to plan._

"What did you think of me when you saw me for the first time?" Luna asked.

He paused, thinking. "I thought you were amusing, the first time I saw you at school. I thought you were perfect, the first time I saw you at the house."

* * *

_It had been barely a week since Luna had discovered her pregnancy. She knew that there were charms for abortion. She wanted to ask Blaise to help her. But she wanted something to live for. As much as she told herself she wanted to die to end the suffering, she had a buried voice deep inside her that told her that she could survive. And a darker part of her knew that the Death Eaters would want to keep her alive, for her pureblood spawn in her. They would not want to spill the blood of the Zabini heir. She figured having her baby would help her stay alive for herself. But she was digging herself into a pit, she was going to cave in._

_When Blaise entered the bedroom, Luna disrupted their lifeless routine. When he hung up his Death Eater robes, Luna crossed the room and asked him, point-blank, "I'd like to have intercourse with you."_

_Blaise stopped short, his eyes full of questions. Luna stopped him from speaking. "I need to feel something again, Blaise," she said, "and using your razor to cut myself would only dull the blade."_

_His throat bobbed, his only sign of shock. "Whatever you need," he said, voice hushed. "Are you sure?"_

_"Are you?" she countered. "The least I can do is make sure you consent too."_

_Blaise flinched._

_"I haven't been living since I pledged myself to him. I think we both need a release from reality." He massaged his neck, unsure, a chink in the easy assurance he so often used. "The moment you feel uncomfortable, you'll tell me to stop," he commanded._

_"I'd like for you to be in charge, if that's alright." Luna knew that it was ironic, asking her rapist to have sex with her. It was twisted in her mind. She felt like she was drowning in guilt, she could not escape her own mind._

_Blaise reached out and grazed her arm with his fingertips. His hand lingered, and went back into motion, unclasping her bra, bringing the straps over her arms, dropping it to the ground. He knelt down to remove the scrap of lace that was her underwear. His fingertips dragged back up the plane of her legs and up her waist and up her neck and cupped her face._

_Luna ran her fingertips along Blaise's lips, tracing his eyes, jaw, trailing them down and unbuttoned his shirt. She kept her eyes closed as she pulled it off, and did the same for his pants and underwear. They stood facing each other, caressing their faces, naked and vulnerable._

_When they were on the bed, Blaise entered Luna as gently as he could, and she exhaled and gripped his back, her forehead on his shoulder. Blaise kissed her collarbone and neck and cheeks._

_When he began to thrust, Luna loosed a ragged, shaky breath and let herself go. She murmured, "Touch me like you love me," and he complied. He kissed her whole body and left her almost crying with sick relief, and they were both panting, and Blaise lay his forehead between her breasts, and she touched the back of his neck, and they lay listening to each other breathe._

_They needed to breathe._

_Would they ever be fixed?_

_Would they ever escape?_

_The next day, Luna notices that Blaise's razor is gone from its place on the sink._

* * *

Zabini Mansion, as most estates, was used to detain the slews of prisoners. Hogwarts was overrun, as was Azkaban- the two largest properties in Wizarding Britain. So each loyal home took in people to do with what they pleased.

Blaise was better than most. He erected wards around his dungeons so no one could get in or out except for a select few, that being him, Luna, and the house-elves. He didn't torture them and they had heat and light. Luna brought them food, helping the house elves, once she found out that there were other people in the house.

She had discovered them by accident. She was exploring the house, and she found a door. In the Muggle fairy tales she had read, that type of brash curiosity never ended well for the hero, but nonetheless, she opened it and found a room where a dozen or so people resided in cells.

_Rosario Weathervane-Hobson eyed the blonde angel suspiciously as she nudged open the dungeon door. He had been in captivity ever since the War, when Harry Potter had failed. He had been tortured before, but now, he was almost scared of the luck he had had so far. The young lord of the house; tall, dark and handsome; had simply given the dozen or so prisoners their own cell and had house-elves bring them food and clean them up twice a day._

_But today, a slender teenage girl, looking like she could shatter from just a cool breeze, opened the door and was followed by the house elves bringing their meals. The prisoners stirred and murmured at the disturbance in the monotonous routine._

_The house elves delivered the plates at each cell and vanished. Rosario picked at the meat and vegetables. "Hello, everyone," the girl said, her silver eyes unnerving Rosario. She was wearing a men's shirt unbuttoned over sheer lingerie and had a- tattoo? Dark Mark? on her midriff._

_"I'm Luna Lovegood," she continued. "How are you all feeling?"_

_"What happened to you, sweetheart?" asked a motherly woman a few cells down from Rosario. He hadn't bothered to learn any of their names.  
_

_Luna blinked. "I was enslaved during the War in September 1997 to be Blaise's pet." She stated the facts as if she was commenting on the weather. Her hands fluttered nervously at her side. _

_The woman looked horrified. Rosario felt his stomach roll. She looked no older than seventeen. "You... you don't mean..." the woman sputtered._

_"The Death Eaters told me that in retaliation to my father's actions, I was to be Blaise's sex slave," Luna said. "That's why I'm dressed like this. Personally, I would never choose to wear black."_

_Another captive piped up. He was younger, perhaps Luna's age. "Why are you here, talking to us?"_

_Luna took a seat in the middle of the cluster of cells, aware that eyes from every angle were on her. "I didn't know that every Death Eater kept prisoners. Blaise told me that the others tortured theirs. I wanted to see if he was doing to same to you." She scrutinized them. "I hope he hasn't."_

_"Does he do it to you?" asked the motherly woman with concern._

_After a beat, Luna shook her head. "He hasn't done anything bad to me that he wanted to do. Blaise is master to all of us, but he doesn't make us submit to his power. He wields it unwillingly. But enough about me. I want," she said, smiling, "to know about you."_

_She walked around to each cell, and her calming presence soothed those who were skittish or scared. Rosario listened to them, and learned their names along with Luna. The motherly woman was named Lillian. The teenage boy was named Icarus._

_When she reached him, the first thing he said was, "Can you tell- do you know what happened to my husband Titus Weathervane-Hobson? He was captured during an Order raid and I don't know what happened to him..."_

_Luna bit her lip and shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said, and Rosario could tell she meant it. "I don't know."_

_"Thank you anyways."_

_"Dearie, you look dead on your feet," Lillian said. "We'll be okay, you can go rest."_

_"No, it's okay, I feel bad I didn't know about you," Luna said, and Rosario wondered how she could smile during these dark times. She was a slave, for heaven's sake. Maybe Blaise Zabini wasn't as different as she thought. This girl might have been manipulated by him._

_"Does he know you're here?" Rosario asked. __Luna smiled and nodded._

_Blaise entered the room then, and Rosario couldn't look at him without seeing a Death Eater. Luna didn't share his thoughts. She didn't recoil in disgust as he placed a hand on her back and brought her to the exit. He gave a nod to the room, and Luna left._

_Rosario couldn't help but admire her. She was just like them, but had spent an hour talking to the prisoners she didn't even know, even though she was battling demons of her own._

All hell broke loose.

Shouting figures charged into the hallway, flinging curses wherever they could. Blaise pushed Luna to the ground and covered her body with his. When one of the attackers glimpsed Luna's blonde hair, they signaled the others to stop.

Luna was gasping. They weren't Death Eaters- they didn't have the silver masks. They were Order members.

She knew the bushy brown hair behind the dark blue bandanna. She knew the knit eyebrows and brown eyes. Hermione Granger stood, towering over them, wand aimed at Blaise, who was still covering Luna.

"Stand up, Zabini. Now," Hermione snarled. Then her face changed into a relieved expression. "Hi, Luna!"

Blaise stood up, and extended a hand to help Luna up. Hermione shot a jinx at Blaise's hand, which was gripping Luna's forearm. Blaise dropped it. "You don't touch her," Hermione said. She nodded to the others. "Make sure the wards are still up. Find any others. Seamus, stay here with me. _Expelliarmus._"

Blaise's wand flew out of his hand.

Luna buttoned her shirt, watching the debacle with wide, nervous eyes.

"Come on, Luna. We're here to save you and kill him."

Luna made to walk, but Blaise put a hand on her shoulder. "She's mine."

"The hell she isn't," Seamus growled. He rushed over to pin Blaise's arms behind him, so he couldn't touch his Dark Mark. Hermione jammed her wand to Blaise's temple. "Luna, come with us?"

"No."

Blaise and Luna spoke at the same time. Hermione pressed her wand harder into his head. "What do you mean, Luna?"

"I want to stay." Luna fought to get the words out.

"Stockholm Syndrome." Hermione sounded exasperated. "Luna, it's okay."

Luna felt so, so tired. At that moment, Seamus shifted, which Blaise took as an opportunity to twist away and make a grab for his wand. As Hermione and Blaise fought, Seamus came to Luna. "Come on, sweetheart, we won't hurt ya," the Irish said, sounding confused. "Are ya on our side or not?"

Luna felt so confused and sick and so _exhausted_. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to be seven again, sitting with her father as he read her books about her beloved magical creatures and listening to his stories. "I don't know what to do, Seamus, so I'll sit here and watch everything play out."

* * *

Luna's baby was named Katharin. Blaise and Luna were good parents. Two years had passed.

Katharin was almost three. She was not oblivious to the world. She was not oblivious to her mother's ache. She knew that her parents didn't love each other. She knew that her mother mourned.

She slept in her mother's room, but spent some nights in her father's. They both held her as they slept. She loved them both, but at her tender age, knew that the world was not right.

Blaise taught Katharin Italian, Luna taught her French. Blaise brought her small trinkets from his missions, hold her hand as they walked the halls of the house, read her stories from The Tales of Beedle & Bard. Luna would rock herself in her room, waiting until Katharin was returned.

"Mi amore," Blaise would call, and Katharin would run to him with open arms.

"Mon amour," Luna would whisper, and Katharin would smile and come to her.

* * *

Blaise entered the dungeon. Luna stood, but rather than turning to leave, he faced his prisoners. "I'm going to need to take and torture one of you before the Dark Lord."

The room was quiet.

"I'll take the one with the dirtiest blood if none of you volunteer," Blaise said, cracking a small smile. He looked relaxed, almost bored, twirling his wand between his fingers.

He chose Seamus.

Luna didn't even remember Seamus's capture, probably from his and Hermione's failed attack. But she cried and embraced him. "Stay strong, Luna," he whispered, smiling gently. "It will be all right."

They walked behind Blaise. There were Death Eaters around them doing the same. Luna saw Draco Malfoy, with Ginny and Penelope Clearwater behind him. They all seemed to have a companion and a prisoner.

In the Great Hall, Blaise shoved Seamus to a section where all of the Death Eaters were depositing their prisoners.

They drank, and Bellatrix addressed the room. "The Dark Lord has demanded a show for his bountiful reign!" she preached. "You have all selected a tribute, a filthy animal chosen to be honored, more than they deserve. Give them a glorious death. We will nail their corpses at the Ministry, so any rebels will know that there is nothing they can do!"

When it was Blaise's turn, he grabbed Seamus's collar and threw him in the center of the room. With a swift stomp, he shattered Seamus's right kneecap so the Irish couldn't move. "I think," Blaise said, speaking slowly, "since you're half wizard and half Muggle, you'll be treated as such."

Luna saw, through her terror, Bellatrix smirk.

Blaise kicked Seamus in the ribs, the legs, the face.

Seamus didn't yell.

He grunted and choked and gasped, but no screams punctured the air. His bones crunched, he was coughing out blood. Luna wanted Blaise to stop. She didn't like seeing him as a Death Eater. She went to ask him to stop, but a cold hand held her wrist. Draco didn't look at her. His eyes were fixed on the shaking form of Seamus, a cold smile curling his lips. His iron grip made her hand go numb.

When Blaise used the Cruciatus on him, Seamus finally yelled. A spell that caused gashes to appear made him writhe. When Seamus made eye contact with a horrified Luna, she could see the life draining out of him. He mouthed, _It will be all right_. Blaise almost whispered "_Avada Kedavra," _and the spectators cheered.

Luna couldn't detach her eyes from Seamus's broken form, the blood pooling out from his wounds and staining the dirty floor. The Gryffindor's clear blue eyes were still open, fixed on the endless ceiling above.

* * *

Luna didn't remember getting home. When a hand grazed her shoulder, she jumped. There stood Blaise, his hands bloody. Luna gave a guttural, raw wail and slammed her hands into his chest. He barely moved, but she began crying as she landed blows on his shoulders. "I thought you were better than them, Blaise!" she sobbed, feeling her world spinning out of control. "I thought you were better."

He tried to calm her, placing his hands on her shoulders and waist, but they were still stained with Seamus's blood. The realization made Luna taste bile, and she began hyperventilating, her face twisted with grief. "No," she gasped, backing away. "No...no...no..."

She sank to the floor, clasping her hands around her neck, heaving. Seamus had been nice to her at Hogwarts. He had protected her from bullies a few times, partnered with her in the D.A. He had been dating Dean. He was brave, but more than just a Gryffindor. He was good.

He was gone.

Luna stayed on the ground for minutes or hours more. After she ran out of tears, she went to the dungeon, where the other prisoners looked up eagerly. "Is that your blood?" Lillian asked in horror.

Luna shook her head, willing herself not to cry. She needed someone to hug, but they were separated in cells. "Why is this so hard?" she asked, her voice breaking. "Why did he have to go?"

Rosario was the first to realize who she was talking about. "Seamus," the man said. "He's..."

Luna cried again, but she was so tired. She wrapped her arms around her waist. "I'm sorry," she said, but she couldn't look at anyone.

Blaise entered the room, and the prisoners quieted. On any other night, they would have yelled at him, but they had realized what he would do.

He was also holding Katharin in his arms.

"Luna," he said calmly. "Don't talk to them again."

"No," she whispered.

"I mean it," he said. "I forbid it, I'm warding you out. They're animals and traitors, the lot of them."

Luna stared at the man who held their baby, who still had blood on his clothes.

Blaise placed a hand on her neck and pushed her towards the door. It wasn't forceful, it was almost gentle, but she felt the command and the threat.

Was he becoming a monster?

_Blaise watched Luna walk up the steps and turned back to the prisoners. His prisoners. "You need to leave her alone," one of them said angrily._

_He turned to the one who spoke and came closer to the cell. He was aware of everyone's eyes on him, everyone holding their breath. "You're bold," he said. "I came in here because I realized that I've been too kind with you. I have most of you because you're pureblooded rebels with the almost-dead Order of the Phoenix. Now, starting tomorrow, I'm going to interrogate each of you. And you're going to give me what I want."_

_"Like hell I will," the same man spat. Blaise guessed that they were the same age. "Leave Luna alone and go fuck yourself."_

_He only smiled a bit and shifted Katharin in his arms. "I realized," he said, addressing all of them, "that you've never seen me with my daughter. She's perfect, isn't she? Just like Luna."_

_They seemed unsure of where he was taking the conversation._

_"It would be a shame if they were to become imperfect."_

_He saw more than a few mouths fall open._

_Blaise turned and left the dungeon._

_He gave Katharin to one of the elves and went to his room. A part of him questioned what he was doing. But he knew it was for the best. Everything for his Dark Lord. He wouldn't be weak. He would-  
_

_What was he doing?_

_Oh yes. He was doing-_

_What sins stained his name?_

* * *

_Icarus was seething when that Death Eater prick entered the room, ordered Luna around. He saw the way she flinched and shied away when he was around. He had thought that he wasn't that bad, but tonight had proved him wrong._

_He had loved when Luna came, loved her smile and words and hope. She was the only thing he had looked forward to in the boring cycle of eat and sleep and wait. In a different world, he would have asked her on a date. Maybe Katharin would have been his child. But not at this age._

_In contrast, he had hated when Zabini came, even though his visits had been brief. He knew that he would kill him if he ever got out of his cage. He had loved Seamus like a brother, their cells had been next to each other. They had swapped stories about their time at school, their boyfriends and girlfriends and friends._

_He was too numb with rage to cry for Seamus. He would avenge him, and Luna, and everyone else._

* * *

_Luna removed Blaise's shirt and stood in the room in her lingerie. She wasn't sure she wanted Blaise's protection anymore._

* * *

_"Hi handsome," Piper cooed, placing a hand on the striking man's shoulder. He had regal features and a stoic exterior. "Mind if I join you?"_

_He didn't respond, only sipped his drink._

_Piper had eyed him for the majority of the time she had been there. The bar was calm for a Friday night, and she wanted to bring a bloke back to her flat. She was feeling forlorn after she ended a two-year relationship, and she wanted to let her hair down a bit._

_"What's your name?"_

_"Pietro," he muttered._

_Piper was used to closed off responses. She was constantly on the receiving end of them, from her ex-boyfriend and family and friends. She wanted to unravel this impassive person. She shifted her chair closer, put a hand on his shoulder. "Do you want to-"_

_"I have a wife," he interrupted. "And a daughter."_

_Piper removed her hand.  
_

_She felt foolish for not checking his left hand. "Oh," she stammered. "I'm sorry, I just-"_

_"It's fine," he said. "It's just- I wish I wasn't. With her, I mean."_

_"How so?" she asked curiously._

_He loosed a sigh. "She's been through a lot, and I'm not good for her, but-"_

_"You love her," Piper guessed, all previous intents forgotten._

_Instead of blushing or denying it, Pietro nodded, reached into his shirt pocket, and pulled out a small picture. It was a picture of a pretty, doll-like girl with blonde hair. She was sleeping, her face turned to the side, hair splayed out around her like a halo. She looked peaceful and delicate._

_"What's her name?" Piper asked. They were both unearthly beautiful._

_He hesitated before saying "Aurora."_

_He wasn't sure why he used his father's name, why he gave Luna his mother's name, why he had been carrying a Muggle picture all this time, why he went to that Muggle bar. When he had raided Luna's house, he had went to her father's study and found pictures of Luna, both Muggle and magical, everywhere. He had taken one, and burned the house._

_He wasn't sure why he spoke to the Muggle girl._

* * *

Blaise entered Luna's room and found Luna sitting on the floor against the wall. She looked up at him, just like she had when he raped her for the first time, so very long ago. "Why are you so beautiful, Blaise?" she whispered hoarsely. She knew she was lapsing back into insanity, but she didn't fight anymore. "You're so beautiful, but you're a monster. You killed Seamus.

"I took off your shirt because I didn't want your protection. But I'm trapped in here."

She covered her mouth with her hand, wiped away her tears. "I still need you, Blaise," she choked. "I hate that I still need you."

Luna Lovegood had broken.

"Hold me," she said, and her voice broke.

Blaise picked her up, and she cried harder.

_One of the house elves looked away from his portrait cleaning. He had forgotten his name because his master only knew the name of one elf. And it wasn't his. He saw his master holding Miss Luna close to him as she cried._

_The elf knew that he loved Miss Luna as much as an elf could. She was kind and treated him like he was more than an elf. She smiled at them and thanked them. He liked her more than his master._

_His master turned the corner and vanished from his view, and one of the portraits barked at him to get back to polishing his frame._

_So the elf returned to his work, but he prayed for Miss Luna._

* * *

"Hi, miss," Dobby said, standing in the middle of her room.

Luna clambered off her bed. "Dobby?" she asked incredulously, with faint hope in her voice. "Are you real?"

"You need to come with me to the dungeon, miss."

"Does Blaise know you're here?"

"No," the tiny elf squeaked. "Be quiet, miss, your father is in his dungeon, he is."

Luna lowered her voice. "Are you working with the Order?"

"Yes I am, miss," he said proudly. "We is a small group, but mighty."

Dobby grabbed Luna's wrist and Apparated into the dungeon with a tiny _pop_! Luna saw her gaunt, frail father. Xenophilius Lovegood, once vibrant and whimsical, slumped against a wall in his cell, eyes sunken and hollow. Luna crouched in front of the bars, trying to contain her tears. The other prisoners watched, as they so often did.

"Daddy?" she asked.

Xenophilius looked at her eyes. The father had the same silver eyes as his daughter.

"Luna," he rasped weakly. "My girl."

Luna wiped her cheeks. "I've missed you," she whispered. "I wish I could hug you."

He cupped her face through the bars. "You need to take any chance you get to...to..." He gave a hacking cough. "You need to get out. Take her with you, elf," he begged. "Please. Protect my daughter."

"And your granddaughter," Luna choked. "I have a daughter. She's four years old."

Xenophilius began crying. Nearby, Lillian wiped away a tear at the reunion. Dobby lingered in the shadows.

"Luna!" Icarus cried in a warning.

Without looking, Luna knew. "Dobby, take Katharin and go!" she called.

Blaise took her by the hair and yanked her away from Xenophilius. Her father shouted angrily and reached through his cell, but clutched his throat the next second as he coughed.

"Family reunion," Blaise said. His eyes were manic, he was breathing heavily. "Should I track down that elf to bring MY daughter back? Is he one of mine?"

"Blaise," Luna mumbled. "Don't-"

He slapped her, sending the prisoners into fits of anger and fear. "I'm going to punish all of you, for resisting me and for being traitors to your kind." Blaise gave a cold smile.

He _Crucio_ed Icarus, but Luna grabbed at his arm.

"Mistake." Blaise shoved her to the ground. He glanced up at the captives. "You don't like it when I treat my pet this way?"

"She's not yours," Xenophilius spat.

His knees pushed her legs down, one hand was on her neck. The other hand pulled down her underwear, leaving it around her knees. Luna screamed as his wand touched her waist, carving crude letters: _BZ_.

His initials were branded on her.

Blaise kissed her, running his hands all over her body, making her feel dirty and trapped. She did not want his touch. But he did not let her go. "_Stop_," Lillian snarled, with more anger in her voice than any of them had heard.

Blaise simply flipped Luna on her stomach and slashed a line, an inch long, between her shoulder blades. "Any time any of you displease me, she gets a tally mark," he said casually. Luna writhed under his grip. "Now, Luna, they need to be punished, but so do you. So I will let you choose which one I kill. It'll be quick, but one of your friends has to die. Any time you come down here with that elf, one will die. I will know everything you do. Now choose."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Blaise's hands left her skin. She stood up on shaky legs. She prayed to whomever would listen.

Lillian and Icarus and Rosario and Corila and Maximus and all of the people she had grown to care for, all of the people who had helped her, cried as she clawed at her skin. Her father was whispering, trying to comfort her. Blaise stared at her with a twisted smile.

The man that stood before her was different than the one she had come to known. She had no idea what made him change, but she did not see the teenage recruit that cried for his dead younger sister. Instead, she saw the twenty-one year old monster, who had become what he had detested.

And she saw that he liked it.

Luna knew what she had to do.

She kissed him again, ignoring the fact that she was in front of her father and friends. Blaise welcomed her touch, slipping his tongue in her mouth. He tasted of alcohol. After waiting several agonizing seconds, she stepped back. "I don't know who you are anymore," she whispered. "You've become one of them. Please, I'll give myself to you, I just did. Please don't kill them."

"PICK!" he shouted. "Or I'll kill all of you slowly!"

Luna's hand shook, but she pointed to Icarus. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed. "I'm so, so sorry."

"It's okay, Luna," he whispered.

Blaise reached for his wand.

But it wasn't there.

Luna leveled Blaise's wand at him, barely able to control her movements. She was crying so hard she could barely see. "I'm sorry," she said again.

Blaise lunged at her, but she had already spoken the words. "_Avada Kedavra_."

Blaise fell.

When her master lay dead at her feet, Luna snapped back to reality, and she began to scream. The prisoners watched with bated breath. Luna didn't stop screaming as she knelt to Blaise's body, already beginning to cool. She screamed until her voice gave out, unable to fathom what she had done. Her hands were bloody from her fingernails digging into her skin. She still clutched Blaise's wand.

She lay down next to him. Closed her eyes. Ignored the others calling to her. "Dobby," she whispered.

Dobby appeared. "Oh, miss," he squeaked. "Let's go. The Order is waiting."


	4. noctem bibat

This is a flashback chapter. Apologies for the wait and the confusion. I promise this story will make sense soon. Trigger warnings apply.

**November 1999**

_Luna gazed up at Theodore Nott, and slowly backed away. "Where's Blaise?" she asked._

_He turned and closed the door. She flinched, placing a hand over a sleeping Katharin on the bed. "Please-"_

_"Don't worry, I don't want to- I won't, I mean... I'm not like them," Theodore said. "I'm not going to-"_

_"You're lying," she said. "Remember what you said to me at the revelry in 1997? When I first became... do you remember? I remember. It was just a reminder that all anyone wants to do in this world with me is...use my body. Do you remember, Theodore?"_

_He winced._

_"'The joke of Hogwarts is your pet, Zabini. You're lucky, though. Never realized she had such a good body. Let me have a night with her.'" Luna remembered the malice and glee his tone had held, the mocking face, the lingering eyes._

_He ran a hand through his hair. "That was me, lying. I was given a 'pet', but I haven't touched her. I Imperio her when I have people over. I want to help you. Blaise used to be like me. But then he was cursed."_

_She knew it was foolish to believe him, but she wanted so badly to. "Is this real?" she whispered, pressing a hand on her heart, trying not to fall apart right in front of him. She closed her tired eyes and prayed, "Please...be my salvation. Please tell me you're real."_

_He shrugged. "I'm as real as you want me to be, sweetheart."_

* * *

_Blaise seemed to have forgotten his disgust towards rape, as he took her multiple times. He would pin her wrists above her head and enter her, she nude and he fully clothed. It was in the hallway. He was so determined to humiliate and belittle her, not even granting the basis of privacy. Only house-elves saw them, and she would make eye contact with them before they bowed their heads. The first time, she had mouthed. "Don't let her see," and they had kept their word. Katharin never saw her father rape her mother in the hallway._

_One time she begged, "Please don't get me pregnant again," and she felt him smile against her neck. "Would it be so bad, Luna?"_

_The elf shifted from his space in the hallway. His master would flay him if he found out that the girl's food was laced with a contraceptive potion. But if there was a thing he could to do help the mistress, he would do it._

* * *

_Luna would have kept missing the doorknob if she hadn't bumped into it. She had been dragging herself down the hall against the hated walls, amid the scolds of the occasional portrait. Every corner she turned, she expected to see Blaise stalking towards her._

_The doorknob was dark, blended into the wall. It was dusty. She turned it and the door opened smoothly, not creaking as she had expected. She took a nearby torch and entered, letiting the door close behind her._

_"Who's there?" a sweet voice called._

_Luna's first wild thought that it was Katharin, but it had an Italian accent. "I-i'm sorry," she tried._

_The room was a study, and there were two portraits on the wall. A beautiful woman reclining imperiously on a lounge, and a little girl with her hair in plaits. "Who are you?" the girl asked._

_Luna's hand felt frozen on the torch. "You're Naomi," she ground out. "And Aurora- Lady Zabini. You're dead. You're paintings."_

_"And you are?" the Zabini matriarch said, graciously ignoring her stuttering._

_"I'm Luna Lovegood." The torch was shaking._

_She nodded and smiled. "Handsome man, that Xenophilius was. You're a pureblood?"_

_Luna could only nod._

_"You're pretty," Naomi said. "I like your eyes. How do you know my brother, Miss Lovegood?"_

_"Call me Luna," she said. "I'm...you're..."_

_How could she tell this girl that her brother was a monster?_

_"How old are you, Naomi?" she asked instead._

_"I am eight years old," Naomi answered in the proud manner of many adults. "How old are you?"_

_Lady Zabini huffed in disapproval. "That's rude to ask, Naomi."_

_"I am not sure of the date. My daughter is over a year old, I believe..."_

_"You have a daughter?" Aurora asked. "Who's the father? Why are you with Blaise?"_

_Luna's arm hurt from holding the torch, so she switched hands. "He's the father."_

_The painting's eyes shifted to her left hand, and Luna knew that she was looking for a ring. And although Lady Zabini was only depicted in the frame, understanding dawned in her eyes. She saw Luna's weary eyes, the fading bruises. "Ay, mio Dio," Aurora muttered to herself. "Blaise, mio figlio, you have caged this poor girl and she is almost dead inside."_

_Naomi grew bored of the adult talk and exited her frame. The lady looked at a resigned Luna with pity. "I knew his heart was blackened. Perhaps it was a result of my neglect. In any case, I cannot express my regrets enough that my son has- has done this to you."_

_Luna could only nod._

_"I was vain when I was alive," she whispered. "Blaise had these portraits made for us years ago, but he hid them. And I was corrupt. I slaughtered my husbands for money and fame. I, oh, my darling, please tell me your story. I perhaps can make amends from beyond the grave."_

_Luna sat on the cold, dusty floor. She recounted the events that led to the moment. She didn't cry. Perhaps she was growing numb. With each action she remembered, the painted woman's face became more and more twisted. Anguish, horror, grief, pity, sorrow, sympathy. "My brave girl," she soothed. "My daughter now. You have been through hell. You're still there. And I will do my best to lessen the pain, however small my effect may be."_

_Luna let the tears flow. Even before the Dark Lord's reign, she had longed for a maternal figure after her mother died. Naomi reentered the study, holding a painted stuffed toy. "Miss Luna, does my brother love you?" she asked._

_Before Luna could answer the question, the little girl continued. "Does he still like Chocolate Frogs? He used to give me his, though. Does he still smoke cigarettes? It's one of the only Muggle things he enjoyed."_

_Luna bit her lip, watching the flames of the torch lick the rim._

_"Tell him that he needs to stop drinking so much, and tell him to visit me," Naomi said._

_At this, Luna made eye contact with her. "I'll try," she said, although she knew she couldn't. "He's very busy."_

_"Will you come back? And will you bring your daughter?"_

_"Katharin would love to meet you, Naomi," Luna said, and she meant it sincerely._

_After Luna had been banned from seeing the prisoners, she visited Aurora and Naomi as often as she could. Aurora had no stories to tell about Blaise, as she had never spent any time with him when she was alive. Naomi had stories, but she didn't remember most of them._

_Luna had just finished an interview with Naomi about the Quibbler her father had run, and the animals she had seen, a smile on her face as she recounted a close encounter with an angry niffler, when Aurora's face slackened. A bit of light flooded the room. Luna didn't bother to turn around. She knew it was him._

_She looked at Aurora and managed a shaky smile for Naomi before she felt him behind her. His hand slid down her arm to grasp her wrist, his viselike grip and cold hand making her tremble._

_"Naomi, go play," Aurora said softly. "Leave us for a moment, please."_

_The eight-year-old looked confused but gazed at her brother adoringly. "Hi Blaise," she said, and then scampered out of the frame._

_"Hello Mother," he said. "It's been a while since I've seen you. You look... well, I can't tell if you've changed at all, since you left when I was fifteen." Beneath the cruel and mocking tone, there was pain._

_"My son," she whispered. "You've changed. You're hurting. You need to let Luna go."_

_With his hands locking hers in place, Blaise brushed Luna's hair to one side. He kissed her neck, making her brow knit in agony. "Blaise, our plan was to stay neutral, but you have become corrupted," Aurora pleaded, discomfited seeing her son use the girl in front of her._

_"Shut up, you bitch, or I'll have you burned," he whispered, voice raspy._

_Luna flinched as he stepped away from her abruptly. He was pacing, agitated, she guessed. "Do you not like it when you think about how I held her down as I used her? Does it make you uncomfortable when I talk about how her pretty body writhed under me? When I made her throat raw from screaming?" Blaise turned to Luna. "And you? Do you still hate it when you remember how you sobbed and thrashed? When you shudder as I touch you against your will?"_

_Aurora was crying openly, her painted eyes red. "You're not my son. This monster is not my son. I am ashamed you wear our family ring. I regret you bear my name."_

_Blaise smiled. "You should like it, Aurora. You should be proud of me, you should be proud that the world trembles at our name."_

_"You're insane," Luna choked, shaking her head wildly. "You- you're evil. Please, Blaise, you can end this now. You can stop. We can help you."_

_He shook his head slowly. "You look pretty when you beg." Blaise pulled out his wand. "Crucio," he said, softly, almost regretfully._

_Luna collapsed on the floor. Aurora was screaming, hands pressed against the surface of the painting as if she could break out. Blaise made eye contact with his mother over Luna's shaking form, and cast the spell again._

* * *

_Pansy Parkinson faced Luna with a peculiar expression on her face. "Luna?" the Slytherin asked. "Are you Luna Lovegood?"_

_The Dark Lord's regime certainly had treated Pansy well. She was wearing a long dress that pureblood nobility often wore, her creamy bare arms free of a Dark Mark, expensive jewelry adorning her._

_Luna nodded cautiously. "Lovegood," Pansy said, with sureness in her voice then. "It's you. Or should I say Zabini?" There was warmth in her face, no disgust in her eyes as she looked at Luna, which was uncharacteristically out of place._

_Luna merely shook her head, and said, "What are you doing here?"_

_"I might ask you the same question," Pansy said. "Why are you wearing Blaise's scent? And dressed so?" She motioned to Blaise's shirt._

_"You truly do not know of my fate?" Luna said, watching her hands shake in front of her. "What happened to you after Harry Potter died?"_

_"I reconciled with my roots, my father married me to Marcus Flint, he became a Death Eater," the elegant woman said. "He's here now to conduct business with Blaise. I was brought along because I wanted to see how he had turned out."_

_"Why are you talking to me without disgust? I mean-"_

_"I don't blame you for asking that, Lovegood," her former schoolmate said. "Sure, I called you Loony at school and mocked your fashions behind your back, but this is after a war. This is after my left arm stopped working permanently, after it hurts to slouch because my back is so bruised. I have no time for petty dislike or cruel names."_

_"How did that happen?" Luna was almost afraid for the answer._

_Pansy looped her right arm through Luna's left, smiling almost dreamily with her painted red lips. "Men happened. My husband happened. I didn't mind being married to Marcus at first, and he wasn't awful to me. And then we found out I was infertile. He asked, what was so wrong with my pureblooded body that he couldn't impregnate me?"_

_Luna shuddered._

_"But I see that Blaise has become a monster, that you have suffered worse than I have. Pray tell, what happened to you?"_

_"I think Blaise owns me," Luna said, almost without thought. "He owns my body and my existence. Everything I do is for and because of him. My daughter is his. He owns everything. He rapes me, hurts me, hurts others."_

_Pansy clucked her tongue, her arched brows drawing together angrily. "Even though we are purebloods, we will never be okay in this world, because we are women, and women are always below men. Merlin, Blaise," she said, almost now to herself. "What have you done?"_

_"What do you suggest I do, Pansy?"_

_Pansy raised her eyes to the ceiling. "At school, Blaise pursued his conquests with passion. Once he got what he wanted, he cut them off- barely glanced at them. He never acted badly when his affections weren't returned, but he worked to make it work. But now he's changed." She bit her lip. "Do you ever fight him?"_

_"Not usually," Luna said. "I don't know why he still does this to me. I was given to him as his slave, and I thought, sooner or later he would get tired of me. He hasn't."_

_"Pansy," Blaise said._

_Pansy spun and smiled instantly. "Blaisey!" she squealed, and hugged him. She kissed his cheek. "I haven't seen you in a while, you look exactly the same!"_

_Luna was left to watch them._

_"Your wife is so kind."_

_Blaise smirked. "Wife?"_

* * *

_Luna looked in Katharin's room, something she didn't usually do. Katharin rarely slept in her own room, but Blaise was sitting in a chair with Katharin on his knee, reading a story from The Tales of Beedle and Bard. He paused from reading in his low voice and said, "Would you like to read to her now?"_

_Luna nodded. Blaise set the book down on the floor, hefted the small girl into his arms, and kissed her forehead. "I'm going to leave you with Mummy now, my love," he said._

* * *

In another world, if it were different, she might have loved who Blaise once was. The charming Slytherin. The rookie Death Eater. Could she have loved this cruel man?

_Draco knocked on the door lazily. Blaise answered, with his shirt unbuttoned and his lips swollen. Draco smirked. "Fucking your whore this late at night, Blaise?"_

_"What the fuck do you want, Draco?"_

_"The Dark Lord has assigned us a mission in America."_

* * *

_Theo knocked on Luna's door. Luna answered, as she would, with one hand on her daughter's head. "Where's Blaise?" she asked immediately._

_"He's away for business in another country. He said he would be away for several weeks and asked me to check on you a few times."_

_Luna opened the door a bit further, eyes a bit less cautious. "Oh. He's gone?"_

_Theo nodded._

_She exhaled a bit, and smiled, not meeting his eyes. "All right. Thank you for telling me."_

_"Wait," Theo said suddenly. Not knowing what he intended to do. "I want to- I want to take you outside."_

_Luna whipped her head around. Katharin studied Theo with wide, intelligent eyes. "How?" she breathed. "Blaise has wards on this house."_

_"Yes- he told me. Anyone who shares your blood cannot exit or enter this house without someone who's cleared. He's the only one who has clearance, other than his elves, but he gave me temporary permission to check on you. I don't know why he doesn't just check you himself, but..."_

_"I'm going outside."_

_"You'll have to Obliviate me once we come back inside. Blaise trusts me. He can perform Legilimency, and I don't want to risk anything. It's better if there's a gap in my memory than evidence. You'll also need to dress warmer."_

_Luna grinned dryly. "I don't have anything to wear. Why would Blaise give me clothes if he warded the exit against my blood?"_

_Theo paused, considering. "You trust me, right?"_

_Luna shrugged. "As much as I can."_

_"And I trust you. So- here." He thrust his wand at her._

_Luna took it with her slim fingers, understanding that she could do anything at that moment._

_"Make copies of my clothes. Get a coat for your daughter, she can come too."_

_Luna touched the wand to Theo's jacket, his pants, almost whispering "Geminio" and "Reducio". She was alight with anticipation. Her gray, almost translucent skin was of a person who had not seen sunlight for a while._

_"Katharin?" Luna said, poking her head in her room. "Come here, darling, please?" Luna tenderly dressed her with the clothes. Theo couldn't fathom why Blaise liked this gentle girl and this gentle child. He also couldn't fathom why Luna hadn't slaughtered Blaise in his sleep yet. He would have snapped in the second week. As far as he could tell, his cruel colleague (not friend) really did care for his lover and daughter._

_Luna faced Theo, and he extended his hand._

_Once they were outside, Theo let a breath out. He hadn't been entirely sure on his theory. Luna tilted her head up to the sun. When she turned to Theo, her cheeks were pink from the cold, but the smile she gave him took his breath away. It was pure joy, and he regretted the fact that his friend had caused the absence of it for so long. The risks were worth her happiness, he told himself. He would do it again, a thousand times, and she could only ask and he would be at her feet._

_Was it love? A sense of owing? Guilt? Protection? An apology?_

_"Look, Rin. This is snow," Luna said softly._

_Katharin stuck out her tongue and tasted the white flakes. "Cold," she sputtered._

_"Isn't it pretty, sweetheart?" Luna said. "I haven't been this cold since I was in that dungeon, but I haven't been this happy since..." She paused as she lay on the ground, pressing her cheek against the ice. "I wish it could be like this."_

_"What do you see for the future?" Theo asked, his blue eyes bright against the white landscape. His cheeks were turning red. His breath made puffs of air._

_Luna thought, and wanted so badly to say victory. Hope. All she could picture was Blaise impregnating her over and over, her being a broodmare to kids she didn't want, each one cementing her to Blaise's life, each a nail in her coffin, a link to her chain. "Nothing I've ever wanted."_

* * *

_"Why do you hate Muggles?"_

_"Why do you think?"_

_"I'm not sure. They're humans. Just without magic."_

_"They're animals."_

_"It's not their fault they don't have magic."_

_"It's their fault they enslaved people of my skin color. It's their fault they would have killed me for liking men as well as women."_

_"But wizards hate based on blood. Is that any different?"_

_"Yes."_

_"But it's not."_

* * *

_The Dark Lord examined Luna as if she were a specimen, his slitted red eyes searing into hers. "Your master is one of my best servants. He's ruthless. He's loyal. He's brutal."_

_Blaise inclined his head._

_"He seems to like you. It's been years and he still hasn't gotten bored of you."_

_Luna could only nod and pray he would dismiss them. She was sure everyone in the room could hear her heart pounding._

_"You have a daughter, correct?"_

_"Yes, my lord," Blaise said._

_"Are you interested in grooming her for my ranks?"_

_Blaise huffed a laugh. "No, my lord. She is soft, like her mother."_

_"A bitch and her pups should serve their owner, no?"_

_Blaise sneered. "Yes, my lord, but sometimes weaklings will never learn. My whore and her daughter are delicate and frail."_

_"Smith or Goyle could train the brats," Bellatrix said._

_"Not when they're still infants, of course, but perhaps around the age of three or four," Voldemort said dismissively. "And of course, anyone who volunteers their offspring will be rewarded."_

_Blaise merely raised his eyebrows and shrugged, bowing his head once more._

_Luna let a sob leave her lips, and then pressed a fist into her mouth. Bellatrix smirked, perhaps excited to see what trouble would come._

_Blaise pulled Luna to her feet, bowed once more to the Dark Lord. "Dismissed, Zabini."_

_They Disapparated, and Blaise took Luna's wrists in his hands, harshly. He leaned in so his mouth was an inch from hers. "Don't make him angry, as Katharin will feel his wrath as well as both of us."_

_Luna nodded, frantically, and opened her mouth, ready to beg him, to please, please spare their daughter. She couldn't take it if something happened to her baby, she was so young. She would find a way to end it. "If you pledge her to- to them, I promise I will find a way to end both her life and mine before the end of this week," was all she could say._

_He shrugged. "I must do as my lord tells me. Any attempts on either of your lives will not work. Trust me, I'll make damn sure of it."_

_He left her, and all Luna could do was pray._


	5. vigilans

_Apologies for the wait. Please note- I updated the previous chapter so the events correlate more. I needed to make some changes, so reread parts of the last chapter. I don't own any part of Harry Potter. Rated M, graphic language and descriptions included. Trigger warning. Please review._

* * *

**May 2000**

Dobby transported the entire group of prisoners to a dark forest. "Where are we, Dobby?" Rosario asked.

"Outskirts of France, sir," Dobby responded. "If you would all close your eyes and touch Dobby's hand."

They obliged, and the elf muttered several things under his breath.

"You see, if any of you are captured and interrogated, the Legilimens will be able to see where the Order resides," Dobby said. "This way, you won't accidentally give anything up if you don't know where the headquarters are."

Luna held her father's hand tightly as their surroundings melted away and were replaced with a dimly-lit room. A cluster of people stared back at them. Hermione, Dean, Professor McGonagall, Percy Weasley, Lee Jordan, Professor Flitwick, Madam Pomfrey, and Angelina Johnson were-

"Are you all that's left?" Luna choked.

Hermione stepped forward, eyes fierce. Luna saw the girl that had been tormented at school by the men that were now their enemy, she saw the girl who was the 'brightest witch of their age', she saw the girl with top marks of their age year. She understood why Hermione was the leader, and allowed herself to but a bit of faith in the Order. Just a bit. "We are the hope for the future. Welcome to the Order of the Phoenix headquarters."

* * *

The first thing Luna did was see Madam Pomfrey. It took herself a while to pry her fingers out of Xenophilius's, but she moved down the dark hallway to see the skilled mediwitch, who promptly hugged her, then examined and evaluated her. Luna received fresh clothes, pants and a shirt. "Were you aware that Mr. Zabini had been spelling you the entire time you had been with him?" she asked, eyebrows creased with worry. "This will take days for me to break. He's layered thousands of spells on you."

Luna shook her head. "I had no idea, Madam Pomfrey, but I swear I-"

"It's quite all right, Luna," she said, patting her hand. "I just wish- I didn't know that Blaise would choose this path for himself. At school, I thought he was one of the better ones, but-" Madam Pomfrey tsked. "Never mind. Let me see what spells he's cursed you with."

Luna lay down on the small cot that was in the small infirmary, staring at the dull ceiling with a few spiderweb plaster cracks. The Order had an impressive selection of herbs and potions, given their circumstances. Madam Pomfrey sighed and started writing on a scrap piece of parchment. "You were cursed with an array of Dark curses, some of which I haven't even heard of, dear," the gentle Healer said, with regret etched in every line of her face. "They're all interdependent on each other. This is the largest piece of unknown magic I've ever seen."

When the healer reached the brand, Luna felt the gentle woman's hand go still. "He did this to you?" Madam Pomfrey choked, the panic clear in her voice. "This- this could mean-"

* * *

Luna passed by the small common room they had first met the Order in, trying not to dwell on Madam Pomfrey's diagnosis. The small sofa next to the fireplace held her sleeping father, who was holding his granddaughter as they both slept. Xenophilius seemed younger when he was asleep, the lines in his face not as harsh.

She was on her way to see Dean Thomas. She knocked on his door, and he answered, the dark shadows under his eyes looked as prominent as ever. The members of the Order all looked older than their ages, and Dean looked years past his young age. "Dean," Luna said, "are you busy right now?"

"I have to be at a strategy meeting in ten minutes, but I can talk quickly," the Gryffindor said. They sat in the close corridors on his bed.

"How did you escape- _him_, after I was moved?" she asked.

"I stayed in there for a few more months," Dean said, bouncing his knee. "And then I was moved to Malfoy Manor with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Dobby showed up as we were getting tortured and we managed to escape. When we met at the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry told a group about his plan to destroy You-Know-Who's Horcruxes. He must have failed, or been hit by the spell. I managed to escape with Seamus, but then he got captured on a raid with Hermione at Zabini's house. Do you know if he made it out?"

Luna shifted uncomfortably, tears welling in her eyes as she forced out the words. "Seamus is de-"

Dean was already nodding, throat tightening as he cut her words off. "Dead." He took a shaky breath, tears falling, letting out a sob. "I knew it- I was foolish to hope- I-" His voice broke.

"I'm sorry," Luna said, but the words were insignificant. "I don't know what to say."

Dean wiped his eyes and nose, and stood up. "Don't apologize. Seamus was a hero. I suspected, but I didn't mean to fall apart like that. I'm- can- can you tell Hermione that I'll be a few minutes late?"

"Of course," Luna said, and as she turned to close the door, she saw Dean put his head in his shaking hands.

She turned down the shadowy halls, the floorboards creaking eerily, as so many Muggle horror films did. She knocked on the door, and Angelina opened it. "Come in, Luna."

Luna sat down nervously, and smoothed her sweating palms on her pants. Upon entering the meeting room, she cleared her throat uncomfortably and sat down. Hermione and Professor McGonagall were standing at the front. "Where's Dean?" Percy asked.

"He said he was going to be a bit late."

Hermione took the opportunity to raise her quill and parchment. "Let's take this time to hear Luna's account of events. Luna, if you might take this Veritaserum so we get an unbiased report..."

Luna drank the clear potion and cleared her throat once more. When she started talking, her voice was quiet. "I was taken on September 1st, 1997 on the train to Hogwarts by Blaise Zabini, Antonin Dolohov, and Fenrir Greyback. I was taken to a townhouse near the countryside, but I don't know the whereabouts. Antonin ordered Blaise to rape me-" Here her voice broke, but she swallowed and kept talking. "As part of his initiation into the Dark forces. That's when Katharin was conceived. I was named as his pet, and I was chained alone in their dungeon. They gave me potions so I wouldn't require food.

"He brought me to revelries and meetings, and Dean was there too. I was there for months and was moved to his bedroom as more prisoners arrived. And he didn't treat me horribly and mourned when his family died. I thought he was one of the better ones. And I hallucinated things, but I can't remember them. I woke up one day with gouges on my arms, and dried blood beneath my nails. I was going insane. And then some point after the Battle of Hogwarts, he changed.

"We moved to his home, and I had my baby. He was there when I delivered her, and her middle name is Blaise's sister's name. I saw the auction where many of the Order's members were sold, and-" Luna choked back a sob. "Ron was killed. And I don't know if you already knew that. But he died defending me, and I'm sorry I couldn't do more, but-"

The room was still and quiet, but her ears were roaring, her eyes burning. "It's okay," Lee said finally. "It's not your fault, Luna, don't think for a second that it is."

Luna wiped her face. "Zacharias Smith joined them, to save himself from that fate, I suppose."

"Spineless coward," Angelina muttered under her breath.

"And we went back to his house, and I was allowed to walk around freely and paint and wear clothes, and then I discovered that he was keeping prisoners, half-bloods and purebloods that resisted the Dark Lord's regime. And I befriended them, and I looked forward to waking up. Because even though I had a better life than most, even though I had a life, I hated Blaise's oppression," Luna choked. "Hermione and Seamus arrived, and I was so confused and I couldn't think for myself, so I sat down against the hallway's walls and closed my eyes. I lost track of what happened. I suppose Hermione escaped and Seamus was captured.

"But then, Blaise changed. He chose Seamus to be tortured at Hogwarts, and Draco Malfoy held me back, and I saw him die. Blaise banned me from seeing his captives, my friends. Later, I found out that he threatened to hurt me or Katharin to get what he wanted from the prisoners, in their interrogations and such. I think he tortured them for information. And after that, I didn't talk to him- I couldn't talk to him. I spent my time in my room with Katharin. But sometimes he would come in and take her and spend time with her. And I remember one time- one time, I was holding her, and he came to take her and I refused, and he hit me. What scared me was that he took Katharin and _smiled _at her, like he hadn't done anything wrong.

"And he met with the Lord and discussed giving Katharin to them to train her. He never smiled with joy or love, and I thought I could change that. I couldn't. And I killed him when he branded me." Luna finished, the silence awkward after her story ended. "Can you tell me what you think of him?"

"I think he sounds like a sadist," Professor Flitwick said in his small voice. "He could have easily used Veritaserum instead of torture for his interrogations. Did you have any connection to the outside world? Do you know what's going on, Miss Lovegood?"

She shook her head. "But I want to help. I want to train and fight too. We have to save Ginny, too. But Theodore Nott- and Pansy too, oh, I think Pansy is stuck with her husband. I think Theodore is what Blaise once was. He took me outside once...and he told me what he was. "

Professor McGonagall shared a look and a nod with Hermione and Luna held her breath. "I'll interview your friends and see if they want to help. Otherwise, you are a member of the Order of the Phoenix."

* * *

_He raised his hand again to strike her again, but stopped short when he heard their daughter's small voice on the other side of the door. "Mummy?" Katharin said. "May I come in?"_

_Luna stepped quickly over to the door, unlocking and opening the door. "What's the matter, Rin?" she asked, hiding her shaking hands behind her back. _

_"I had a bad dream," Katharin said. The mother and daughter's matching pairs of eyes met each other. "Can I sleep with you and Daddy?"_

_Luna bit her lip. "You can sleep with me, my angel. Are you all right?"_

_Katharin nodded, and entered the room with her little legs. The moon barely showed in the window, and the single candle provided minimal light. _

_Throughout the exchange, Blaise had been standing near Luna's bed. When Luna closed the door, he slapped her still, with a muttered, "Don't refuse me again."_

_Luna sucked in a breath, tears springing to her eyes once more. Katharin watched her father hit her mother, and asked, "Why did you hit Mummy?"_

_Blaise walked over to her and picked her up. "It's all right, my darling. Mummy was acting above her position." He turned to look at Luna, who was in turn looking at them. "She's perfect, isn't she? So beautiful." He__ smirked at Luna, who was holding the sleeping little girl, and blew out the candle. He left the room without another word._

_Outside of the room, a house-elf gave a small sigh of relief. He had heard his master slap Miss Luna and he had gone to fetch the little one. He bowed his head again, and prayed for the two girls who lived their lives under the roof of a monster._

* * *

Luna took time adjusting to the Order of the Phoenix. On one such occurrence, Icarus, whom she usually enjoyed spending time with, held Katharin in the way Blaise had, which made Luna's world spin. She couldn't look at her sweet-faced friend without seeing her former captor, staring emotionless at her child. She took Katharin back from Icarus as politely as she could and left the room.

The Order had a small collection of wands, and she picked one out for herself. It had been so long since Luna had held a wand, used her magic. She was afraid she had forgotten, but as soon as she held one, she felt nothing but reactivation- power rushing back to her. She laughed with relief and conjured some small twittering birds, regretting that she missed two years of her schooling.

But as she looked back down at her wand, all she could see was Blaise, livid, and then the green light, and then screaming-

"Luna!" Hermione shook her shoulder. "You- are you well?"

Luna shook her head and swallowed the bile in her throat, taking her friend's hand. She could see the stress and strain of the war taking its toll on Hermione. "I told Katharin stories about you," she said, changing the subject. "And Ron and Harry, although Ron didn't treat me very nicely. I wish I could have done more to save them."

Hermione gave a small smile. "Don't we all."

Luna paused, debating what she should say next. "Hermione," she began. "I am still confused about Blaise."

"It's natural to feel a hole in your life since he was the biggest part of it, Luna," Hermione began.

"No," Luna interrupted. "In the beginning of it all, almost four years ago before my sixth year started, he took me. And I thought, although he was on the wrong side, he wasn't bad. He wasn't doing the worst to me. And I can't tell you when that shift happened. But he was more loyal to his lord, and he became darker. He was cruel, and he wasn't cruel before. He cried over Naomi, but then..."

"I think that was just his training. It was bound to happen." Hermione chewed her lip. "Get some rest, Luna. You aren't expected to train for missions right away. Just focus on healing. We're all so glad you're here."

* * *

When Luna managed to fall into a steady schedule, she was relieved. Keeping busy meant she could focus on the task and not think of Blaise. It was almost easy to forget what the world was like beyond the Order. She didn't know if they were underground or aboveground, in a forest or in a city. She scanned old newspapers to catch up on what she had missed during the isolated years in Zabini Mansion. Some gave her nightmares.

The Dark Lord had power over Wizarding Britain and was seizing power all throughout Europe. Some leaders surrendered, others were killed, but Voldemort's intentions were clear: more power. More magic, more knowledge, more people. Luna couldn't tell if his direct goal was immortality, or world power, or extermination of all Muggleborns, but he was, without a doubt, a large threat.

She also knew that it would take major miracles to defeat him.

Blaise and Draco Malfoy were among the leaders or generals, and worked closely with the Dark Lord, showing that the younger generation of wizards were to serve the Dark Lord. Children were taught magic at home. Muggles and Muggleborns were being slaughtered. Occlumency charms and amulets were in high demand, as everyone retreated within themselves. Everyone wanted to be safe.

Luna would wake up in her small room with Katharin, and they would eat breakfast, study a bit of the newspapers. Luna would practice her magic, but it wasn't how she felt at school. She strained more. Her magic felt feeble, flickering, faint, struggling to come back to her. Desperately, she hoped that it was just because she hadn't had a wand in a while, but she knew it was something else.

She told Katharin stories of the creatures she had once loved, the Crumple-Horned Snorkack the first one her daughter learned. "They live in Sweden, have a beautiful horn. Grandpa had one of their horns...but Harry Potter accidentally destroyed it. Harry was always nice to me. I think he wouldn't have known what to do with you, though. He and Ron always thought I was odd...Ron would have been surprised that I had a child. I guess I didn't seem like the motherly type. Now, Katharin, you would have loved the niffler..."

She knew how she had acted back at Hogwarts. 'Airy-fairy,' 'daft,' 'obtuse,' 'whimsical,' were some of the words that described her, some nicer than others. She knew how easy it could be to slip back into the mindset. Sometimes she did. Sometimes she lost sight of where she was, who she was, and blacked out for hours, conscious or not.

_Luna stumbled down the shadowy hallway amid whispers and hisses. From whom, she didn't know. The paintings? People? She kept the two figures ahead of her in her view at all times. No matter how fast she ran, they were always ahead of her. _

_One was tall, imposing, the other much smaller, wispy curls flying as they walked, hand in hand away from her. _

_They halted, in the middle of the hallway that never seemed to end, and Luna almost ran into them. "Blaise?" she whispered._

_Blaise turned around, his silver Death Eater mask on. His shirtsleeves were rolled up, exposing his Dark Mark. The engraved whorls of the mask glowing in the darkness._

_Katharin turned around too. Luna screamed._

_She was wearing a small silver mask. A small Dark Mark was on her arm._

_Luna dropped to her knees, screaming still, shaking the little girl, trying to pry the mask off. It stayed firm._

_And then a mask appeared on her face, the silver blindingly cold and burning hot at the same time._

Luna jerked awake, hyperventilating. There were gouges on her face from her fingernails, and she could feel the blood trickling its way down her face and into her clothes.

* * *

"Professor McGonagall?" Luna asked. "Do you have any Dreamless Sleep potion on hand?"

"Yes- Miss Lovegood, of course, I will give some to you tonight. But I was going to come ask you, you're sure you killed Mr Zabini the night you escaped?" Her former teacher's lips were pinched.

"I used the Killing Curse," Luna whispered. "Is he powerful enough to evade it?"

"I do not think so, but there have been no reports of his death in any of the wizarding newspapers. Even from sides as biased as the Death Eater-run ones. You'd think they'd mourn one of their strongest."

Luna felt the blood leaving her face.

Shouts filled the small hallway. "Professor!" Dean called. "We've got a prisoner."

Without a moment's hesitation, Luna and McGonagall ran to the commotion, and they both stopped short at the sight. Luna felt every cell in her body repulse. Her vision tunneled, a noise between a gasp and a shriek tumbling out of her mouth. She brought shaking hands to her mouth.

Blaise Zabini sat shackled to a chair, nose dripping blood into his mouth. He tilted his head up and met his eyes to Luna, looking menacing as he smiled wider, teeth stained red. "Hello, Luna," he purred.


End file.
